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Report: Daihatsu leaving European market

More than any other, two carmaking giants sit at the top of the industry: Toyota and General Motors. But while GM sells under a (shrinking but still) expansive range of brands, the Toyota Motor Corporation sells most of its vehicles under its own name. That doesn't mean that Toyota, however, doesn't have its own portfolio of subsidiaries. Here in the United States we have the youth-oriented Scion division, while Lexus handles its upscale offerings, and overseas there's Daihatsu.
The budget brand offers a range of small cars under its own name; most are hatchbacks, but there's also the Copen roadster and even a rebadged Camry called the Altis. You may have come across some of their offerings while traveling overseas, particularly in Europe, but that last part is about to come to an end, according to reports.
Word from across the pond is that Toyota plans to withdraw Daihatsu from the European market altogether. The move would reportedly take effect in 2013, and if it comes to pass, would follow similar withdrawals from the North American (1992) and Australian (2006) markets. Thanks for the tip, William!

Daihatsu D-R concept looks like a Copen successor

Daihatsu, everyone's seventh-favorite Japanese automaker, is making big waves at the Indonesian Motor Show this year. Typically writing a sentence like that one would preclude such news to follow from, well, being newsworthy here in the U.S., but we've always been such fans of Daihatsu's cheeky Copen convertible Kei car that we couldn't resist reporting on the model's spiritual successor.
Called D-R, this sprightly concept droptop is obviously heavily reminiscent of the Copen, though more modern, with an oversized front fascia, Audi-style aluminum windshield frame and a leather-lavished interior that has a zero-percent chance of making it to production. It's also 100-percent more endearing than the similarly sized D-X Concept that was shown at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.
We're told that the D-R showcar has replaceable resin body panels - fit to be switched out when the conceptual owner requires a freshened visage. Inside, a central touchscreen does most of the heavy lifting in terms of driver controls, while an LCD screen has taken the place of a traditional instrument binnacle.

Daihatsu D-X portends a less endearing Copen successor

We've always had a soft spot for the Daihatsu Copen. Granted, it always struck us as an overly effeminate Audi TT, but that's not a particularly bad thing. But after nearly a decade of production, Daihatsu has to move on, so across the way from the "Ultimate Edition" Copen at the Tokyo Motor Show is this, the Daihatsu DX concept.
An odd amalgamation of Kei car size and SUV styling, the D-X features a retractable hard top and composite body panels that Daihatsu claims can be swapped out at will. Keeping within the Kei car limits in Japan, the D-X is powered by a turbocharged two-cylinder engine outputting around 60 horsepower and spinning the front wheels. We couldn't get a straight answer from the Daihatsu reps on the floor, but based on the model years we through out in broken Japanese, we should be seeing the D-X in production form late next year.