, commonly known as Daihatsu, is a Japanese automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest surviving Japanese
internal combustion engine
An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combus ...
manufacturers. The company's headquarters are located in
Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture
is a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2017, the city had an estimated population of 103,028 and a population density of 4,700 persons per km2. The total area is 22.09 km2.
History
In the Edo period, Ikeda had a castle occup ...
.
Historically, Daihatsu was well known for building three-wheeled vehicles and
off-road vehicle
An off-road vehicle, sometimes referred to as an overland or adventure vehicle, is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with dee ...
s, while currently the company offers a range of
kei car
Kei car (or , kanji: , "light automobile", ), known variously outside Japan as Japanese city car or Japanese microcar, is the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars with restricted dimensions and engine capacit ...
models, along with
kei trucks
A kei truck, kei-class truck, or Japanese mini truck is a mini truck, a tiny but practical pickup truck available in rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive versions, built to satisfy the Japanese '' keijidōsha'' (軽自動車, "light vehicle") sta ...
, kei vans and other larger small cars in Japan. The company also produces entry-level compact cars in Japan and Southeast Asia, which are also supplied to global
emerging markets
An emerging market (or an emerging country or an emerging economy) is a market that has some characteristics of a developed market, but does not fully meet its standards. This includes markets that may become developed markets in the future or were ...
under the Toyota brand.
, Daihatsu's presence has been limited to Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia (as
Perodua
The (''Second Automobile Manufacturer Private Limited''), usually abbreviated to Perodua (), is Malaysia's largest car manufacturer,
followed by PROTON Holdings, Proton.
History
It was established in 1992 and launched its first car, the Pe ...
), where the company has significant
research and development
Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...
resources, manufacturing facilities and sales operations.
The company has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of the
Toyota Motor Corporation
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
since August 2016. , Daihatsu sales account for 4 per cent of the Toyota Group's vehicle sales' total.
Name
The name "Daihatsu" is a combination of the first symbol (
kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
) of
Ōsaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 ...
(大) and the first of the word . In the new combination the
reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
of the "大"
is changed from "ō" to "dai", giving "dai hatsu".
History
![Hatsudōki SA-6 Daihatsu (22022010080)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Hatsud%C5%8Dki_SA-6_Daihatsu_%2822022010080%29.jpg)
Daihatsu was formed in March 1951 as a successor to Hatsudoki Seizo Co. Ltd, founded in 1907, as part of Hatsudoki's major restructure. Hatsudoki's formation was largely influenced by the Engineering Department's faculty of
Osaka University
, abbreviated as , is a public research university located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is one of Japan's former Imperial Universities and a Designated National University listed as a "Top Type" university in the Top Global University Project. ...
, to develop a gasoline-powered engine for small, stationary power plants. From the beginning of the company until 1930, when a prototype three-wheeler truck was considered and proposed, Hatsudoki's focus was largely steam engines for
Japanese National Railways
The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987.
Network Railways
As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...
and included rail carriages for passenger transportation. The company then focused on railroad diesel engines, working with Niigata Engineering, and Shinko Engineering Co., Ltd. Before the company began to manufacture automobiles, their primary Japanese competitor was
Yanmar
is a Japanese diesel engine, Heavy equipment, heavy machinery and agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in Osaka, Japan in 1912. Yanmar manufactures and sells engines used in a wide range of applications, including seagoing vessels, pleasu ...
for diesel engines that weren't installed in a commercial truck to provide motivation.
![1957 Daihatsu Midget 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/1957_Daihatsu_Midget_01.jpg)
The company's decision to focus on automobile production and related technologies was influenced by the early days of automobile manufacturing in Japan during the late 1920s and 1930s, when both
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
and
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
had opened factories in Japan and enjoyed a considerable market share. Ford opened a factory at Yokohama in March 1925 and in 1927 GM opened
Osaka Assembly until both factories were appropriated by the Imperial Japanese Government before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
During the 1960s, Daihatsu began exporting its range to Europe, where it did not have major sales success until well into the 1980s. In Japan, the majority of Daihatsu models occupies the
kei jidōsha (or kei car) segment.
Daihatsu was an independent automaker until Toyota became a major shareholder in 1967 as the Japanese government intended to open up the domestic market.
According to Toyota, it was first approached by Sanwa Bank, banker of Daihatsu. In 1995, Toyota increased its shareholding in the company from 16.8 percent to 33.4 percent by acquiring shares from other shareholders: banks and insurance companies.
[ At the time, the company was producing mini-vehicles and some small cars under contract for Toyota.][ Toyota, by owning more than a one-third stake, would be able to veto shareholder resolutions at the annual meeting.][ In 1998, Toyota increased its holding in the company to 51.2 percent by purchasing shares from its major shareholders including financial institutions.
Daihatsu pulled out of the European market by 2013, citing the persistently strong ]yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...
, which makes it difficult for the company to make a profit from its export business.[Strong Yen Forces Daihatsu Out of Europe](_blank)
– Industry Week, January 14, 2011 Following the financial crisis of 2007–2008
Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fi ...
Daihatsu's sales in Europe plummeted, from 58,000 in 2007 to 12,000 in 2011.
In August 2011, Daihatsu invested 20 billion yen ($238.9 million) in Indonesia to build a factory that produces low-cost cars under the Low Cost Green Car scheme. The construction had been initialized on 70,000 square meters on May 27, 2011 and started operations at the end of 2012, producing up to 100,000 cars per year.
In August 2016, Daihatsu became a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
. In January 2017, Daihatsu and Toyota jointly established an internal company to develop compact vehicles for emerging markets called the 'Emerging-market Compact Car Company'. Under the internal company, Daihatsu is responsible of product planning and quality planning of the vehicles, while both Toyota and Daihatsu are jointly responsible of product and business planning. To support the company, Toyota Motor Asia Pacific Engineering and Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TMAP-EM) in Thailand was renamed to Toyota Daihatsu Engineering and Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TDEM).
In October 2016, Daihatsu and Toyota announced a new vehicle architecture
A car platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components, over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of cars, often from different, but somewhat related, marques. It is prac ...
called the Daihatsu New Global Architecture
The Daihatsu New Global Architecture (abbreviated as DNGA) is a modular unibody automobile platform that underpin various Daihatsu vehicles and its rebadged versions supplied for Toyota, Subaru, and Perodua. Introduced in 2019, it is aimed for ...
(DNGA) was being developed. The second-generation Mira e:S was revealed as the first DNGA model in 2017, although the company later revised the definition of DNGA and launched the fourth-generation Tanto claiming it as the first DNGA model instead.
Company timeline
* 1907 – Hatsudoki Seizo Co., Ltd. founded
* 1951 – Company renamed: Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.
* 1963 – Daihatsu Compagno
The Daihatsu Compagno is an automobile which was produced by Daihatsu in Japan from 1963 to 1970. The name comes from the Italian word for "partner." The Compagno was designed to be offered in multiple bodystyles, and was introduced prior to the ...
which utilized multiple bodystyles on one platform was presented. The long running ''D'' logo introduced.
* 1964 – The millionth Daihatsu is built on September 1.
* 1965 – The Daihatsu Compagno Berlina went on sale in the United Kingdom, the first Japanese car to be marketed there.[ Kießler, p. 33]
* 1967 – Starts cooperation with Toyota Motor Corporation
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
* 1969 – The two millionth Daihatsu is built.[ Kießler, p. 35]
* 1971 – First generation of the Daihatsu Delta Truck model launched in Japan, a Toyota influenced four wheeled six ton cargo lorry.
* 1975 – Begins to supply diesel engines to the original SEMAL motor vehicle company of Portugal for the new PORTARO 4X4 and TAGUS 4X4 offroad vehicles.
* 1980 – Daihatsu builds its three millionth kei car
Kei car (or , kanji: , "light automobile", ), known variously outside Japan as Japanese city car or Japanese microcar, is the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars with restricted dimensions and engine capacit ...
[ Kießler, p. 42]
* 1987 – Daihatsu enters the US automotive market with the Hijet
* 1988 – Daihatsu introduces the Rocky
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess M ...
and Charade
Charade or charades may refer to:
Games
* Charades, originally "acting charades", a parlor game
Films/TV
* ''Charade'' (1953 film), an American film featuring James Mason
* ''Charade'' (1963 film), an American film starring Cary Grant and A ...
in the US market
* 1992 – Daihatsu shuts down US sales in February and ceases production of US-spec vehicles
* 1998 – Toyota gains a controlling interest (51.2%) in Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.
* 2011 – Daihatsu states that sales of Daihatsu motor cars will cease across Europe on January 31, 2013
* 2011 – Daihatsu invests 20 billion yen ($238.9 million) in Indonesia to build a factory that produces low-cost cars.
* 2016 – Toyota purchases Daihatsu's remaining assets, and therefore makes Daihatsu a wholly owned subsidiary
Export markets
Daihatsu's first export was in 1953, and by 1980 half a million Daihatsu vehicles had been exported. In 1979 a European main office was established in Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, tasked with controlling and expanding Western European exports.[ Since the late 1990s, its exports have been steadily contracting. This has been partially offset by the sale of Daihatsu vehicles through the Toyota channel, and the sale of technology to Malaysia's ]Perodua
The (''Second Automobile Manufacturer Private Limited''), usually abbreviated to Perodua (), is Malaysia's largest car manufacturer,
followed by PROTON Holdings, Proton.
History
It was established in 1992 and launched its first car, the Pe ...
. Daihatsu has also supplied cars under different badges to various automakers in the past. The company currently provides engines and transmissions to Malaysia's Perodua, which manufactures and markets rebadged Daihatsu cars locally, and sold a small number of Perodua cars in the United Kingdom and Ireland until 2012.
Asia and Oceania
Following the 1997 Asian financial crisis
The Asian financial crisis was a period of financial crisis that gripped much of East Asia and Southeast Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. However, the recovery in 1998–1 ...
, Daihatsu closed their plants in Thailand and withdrew from the market entirely. Until withdrawing in March 1998 they had mostly been selling the Mira
Mira (), designation Omicron Ceti (ο Ceti, abbreviated Omicron Cet, ο Cet), is a red-giant star estimated to be 200–400 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Cetus.
ο Ceti is a binary stellar system, consisting of a varia ...
range in Thailand; the Mira was also built there with certain local modifications.
After the launch of Perodua, Daihatsu's Malaysian operations were scaled down to concentrate exclusively on the commercial vehicles market, selling its Delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta")
* Delta Air Lines, US
* Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19
Delta may also ...
and Gran Max commercial truck chassis; Daihatsu had formerly sold Charades
Charades (, ). is a parlor game, parlor or party game, party word game, word guessing game. Originally, the game was a dramatic form of literary charades: a single person would act out each syllable of a word or phrase in order, followed by the w ...
and Miras
Miras is a village and a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Devoll. The population at the 2011 census was 6,577. in the country since it first began operations in Malaysia as a joint venture in 1980. In Indonesia, Daihatsu remains a major player.
It was reported on March 31, 2005 that Toyota would withdraw Daihatsu from the Australian market after sales fell heavily in the years leading up, in spite of the overall new-car market in Australia growing 7%. Daihatsu ended its Australian operations in March 2006 after almost 40 years there. At the time the marque sold the Charade
Charade or charades may refer to:
Games
* Charades, originally "acting charades", a parlor game
Films/TV
* ''Charade'' (1953 film), an American film featuring James Mason
* ''Charade'' (1963 film), an American film starring Cary Grant and A ...
, Copen
The is a 2-door convertible kei car built by the Japanese car company Daihatsu. It debuted at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show, as the Daihatsu Copen concept. The second generation model debuted as the Kopen (Future Included) at the 2013 Tokyo Motor S ...
, Delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta")
* Delta Air Lines, US
* Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19
Delta may also ...
, Sirion and Terios
The is a mini SUV produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Daihatsu since 1997 as the successor to the F300 series Rocky. It was initially offered in both short and long-wheelbase configurations before the former stopped production in ...
models.
Toyota New Zealand announced on April 8, 2013 that sales of new Daihatsu vehicles in the country would cease by the end of the year, citing a lack of products that would comply with future NZ regulatory standards. No additional new vehicles were being imported as of the announcement date.
The Americas
Daihatsu's operations in Chile, where Daihatsu is well known for its 1970s models such as the Charade or Cuore, were also threatened after low sales in 2004 and 2005. Toyota has stated that it intended to persist in the Chilean market, where only the Terios model was available until it was rebranded as the Toyota Rush in August 2016, as Daihatsu left that market.
In Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
, Daihatsu has had a market presence since 1958 when its Mark I Midget was a popular choice among market tradesmen. From 1978 until 2001, a local dealer marketed the Charmant, Rocky, Fourtrak, and then later, the Terios and Grand Move which were popular. The Delta chassis remained popular from its introduction in 1985 until today. Toyota Trinidad and Tobago Ltd. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Japan) now markets Daihatsu Terios, YRV and Sirion under stiff competition.
In the United States, Daihatsus were marketed from 1988 until 1992 but were hampered by the 1990s recession, and that their products had very little impact as the company's compact and fuel economic cars did not align with the perceived needs of American customers. Only the Charade
Charade or charades may refer to:
Games
* Charades, originally "acting charades", a parlor game
Films/TV
* ''Charade'' (1953 film), an American film featuring James Mason
* ''Charade'' (1963 film), an American film starring Cary Grant and A ...
and the Rocky
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess M ...
were sold. Beginning in 1987, Daihatsu also sold the Hijet in the United States as an off-road only utility vehicle. The US Head Office was located at 4422 Corporate Center Drive in Los Alamitos, California
Los Alamitos () is a city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,780 at the 2020 census, up from 11,449 at the 2010 census. The adjacent unincorporated community of Rossmoor uses the same 90 ...
and is currently the location of Timken Bearing Inspection Inc. Daihatsu and Bombardier Inc. had been planning to open an assembly plant for the Charade in Canada in 1989, with the ultimate goal of building a small car of Bombardier's design to market in North America. These plans came to naught, however. After Daihatsu's withdrawal from the US market, Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
, which had recently purchased a controlling interest in Daihatsu, continued to provide after-sales support for existing Daihatsu customers through at least 2002.
Europe
European imports began in 1979. The company had little or no presence in countries with protectionist barriers such as France and Spain - where local manufacturers also targeted the same market segment as Daihatsu. Daihatsu sold mainly in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands. In Italy, Daihatsu partnered with local small car experts Innocenti
Innocenti () was an Italian machinery works, originally established by Ferdinando Innocenti in 1920. Over the years, they produced Lambretta scooters as well as a range of automobiles, mainly of British Leyland origins. The brand was retired in 1 ...
in 1982 as a backdoor to several continental markets. The Italian manufacturer used Daihatsu drivetrains in their cars from 1983 until 1993. Beginning in 1992, Piaggio also manufactured the Hijet microvan and truck locally, as the Piaggio Porter, Innocenti Porter, or Daihatsu Hijet. It remains available as of 2020 and is also built in India. In the mid-1980s Daihatsu also briefly imported Charades assembled by Alfa Romeo's South African subsidiary to Italy, in another effort to circumvent import restrictions.
Daihatsu announced on January 13, 2011 that sales of Daihatsu motor cars would cease across Europe on January 31, 2013. This was due to the increasing strength of the Japanese yen, which had increased prices beyond competitive levels. Daihatsu had no stock of new Daihatsu cars in the UK at the time, and did not intend to import any more cars in the interim period.
Africa
From 1983 until 1985, Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...
's South African branch assembled the Charade
Charade or charades may refer to:
Games
* Charades, originally "acting charades", a parlor game
Films/TV
* ''Charade'' (1953 film), an American film featuring James Mason
* ''Charade'' (1963 film), an American film starring Cary Grant and A ...
for local sales and for export to Italy.[ In April 2015, Daihatsu pulled out of South Africa.
]
Electrics and hybrids
Daihatsu has had a long-running development program for electric vehicles, beginning with the production of "pavilion cars" for the 1970 Osaka World Expo and continuing with the production of golf carts and vehicles for institutional use, such as the DBC-1. An electric version of the company's Fellow Max kei car also followed, the beginning of a series of prototypes. The 1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis or first oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations that had supp ...
provided further impetus and at the 20th Tokyo Motor Show
The is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show by ...
(1973) Daihatsu displayed a 550 W electric trike (TR-503E), the BCX-III electric car prototype and daihatsu's own EV1
The General Motors EV1 was an electric car produced and leased by General Motors from 1996 to 1999. It was the first mass-produced and purpose-designed electric vehicle of the modern era from a major automaker and the first GM car designed to ...
. Daihatsu showed more prototypes through the 1970s, for instance at the 1979 Sydney Motor Show, and then joined the Japanese Electric Vehicle Association's PREET program (Public Rent and Electronic Towncar) with an electric version of the Max Cuore kei car. The program allowed registered users access to the cars with a magnetized card and charged according to mileage used.
In November 1974, Daihatsu released the Hallo (ES38V), a tilting trike powered by an electric motor and two 12V batteries.
In December 2011, Daihatsu released the Pico EV Concept, a quadricycle
Quadricycle refers to vehicles with four wheels.
In 1896 Henry Ford named his first vehicle design the "Quadricycle". it ran on four bicycle wheels, with an engine driving the back wheels.Brinkley, David, ''Wheels for the World: Henry Ford, His ...
powered by an electric motor.
The company released a mild hybrid
Mild hybrids (also known as power-assist hybrids, battery-assisted hybrid vehicles or BAHVs) are generally cars with an internal combustion engine equipped with an electric machine (one motor/generator in a parallel hybrid configuration) allowing t ...
technology called the Daihatsu Mild Hybrid System
The is a cab over microvan and kei truck produced and sold by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu since 1960. Despite the similarities between the Hijet name and Toyota's naming scheme for its trucks and vans ( HiAce and Hilux), the name "Hijet" h ...
in 2007, and is used in the Hijet/Atrai Hybrid-IV.
In November 2021, Daihatsu released their first mass-produced full hybrid
Hybrid vehicle drivetrains transmit power to the driving wheels for hybrid vehicles. A hybrid vehicle has multiple forms of motive power.
Hybrids come in many configurations. For example, a hybrid may receive its energy by burning gasoline, but sw ...
system. Marketed as the "e-Smart Hybrid", it is a series hybrid system as opposed to Toyota's more advanced parallel hybrid
Hybrid vehicle drivetrains transmit power to the driving wheels for hybrid vehicles. A hybrid vehicle has multiple forms of motive power.
Hybrids come in many configurations. For example, a hybrid may receive its energy by burning gasoline, but sw ...
technology. The technology was first used by the hybrid version of the A200 series Rocky. It is also used by the Toyota-branded model, the Raize under the common "Hybrid Synergy Drive
Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD), also known as Toyota Hybrid System II, is the brand name of Toyota Motor Corporation for the hybrid car drive train technology used in vehicles with the Toyota and Lexus marques. First introduced on the Prius, the tec ...
" branding.
Motorcycles
In 1973, Daihatsu presented an electric tilting trike at the Tokyo Motor Show
The is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show by ...
. This entered production in 1975 as the Hallo.[ Kießler, p. 78] Daihatsu also released a petrol powered version using a 50 cc two-stroke engine.
Logo
Daihatsu is well known with its signature D logo. The D logo debuted in September 1963 on the Compagno as the first automobile with the Daihatsu D logo, although from its establishment in 1951 until 1969, Daihatsu also used a Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
-like logo, with ''Daihatsu'' vintage-style cursive wordmark (outside Japan) and Daihatsu wordmark in katakana, written inside an ellipse. Daihatsu also had a second logo, based on a stylized drawing of Osaka Castle
is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and it played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
Layout
The main tower ...
. The script logo remained in use as Daihatsu's corporate logo and appeared on Daihatsu product catalogues and brochures until November 1969. Thus, in the 1950s and 1960s Daihatsu was commonly referred to as Japan's Ford, and also as the Japanese equivalent to Ford. In December 1969, this logo was discontinued and Daihatsu officially used the D logo as its corporate logo. Except in Indonesia, the first Daihatsu logo was used in brochures until about 1977 or 1978. The famous D logo is a stylized, modernized version of the D in the earlier logo and resembles the ''da'' in katakana.
The D logo as the corporate logo (the white D placed inside the red rectangle), is used from late 1969 onwards. The first version of the D logo, surrounded with circle, used on Daihatsu automobiles from 1963 until 1979. From 1979 to 1989, the D logo is surrounded by a dark grey rectangle. In November 1989, following the launch of Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
's famous current logo, the D logo is surrounded by an oval, and made in chrome. The chrome D logo is still used until today.
Vehicles
Plants and production
Japan
Daihatsu's first, and oldest factory, called Ikeda Plant 1 was built in May 1939 in Ikeda, Osaka
is a Cities of Japan, city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2017, the city had an estimated population of 103,028 and a population density of 4,700 persons per km2. The total area is 22.09 km2.
History
In the Edo period, Ikeda h ...
. The second factory was built May 1961 and is called Ikeda Plant 2, which also houses the Osaka HQ office that was established March 1965. The company also maintains an office in Tokyo that was originally opened as Hatsudoki Seizo Co. Ltd. in June 1933 the Daihatsu Building. Daihatsu currently has two factories in Ryūō, Shiga
260px, Namura Jinja Haiden
is a town located in Gamō District, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 11,786 in 4499 households and a population density of 260 persons per km2. The total area of the town is .
Geog ...
. The first factory was opened in April 1974, and the second one in January 1989. Daihatsu opened a factory in April 1973 in Ōyamazaki, Kyoto
is a town located in Otokuni District, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.
As of October 1, 2017, the town has an estimated population of 15,452 and a density of 2,600 persons per km². The total area is 5.97 km².
The headquarters of Maxell and ...
. Daihatsu opened two factories in Nakatsu, Ōita
is a Cities of Japan, city on the northern border of Ōita Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. The city is on the border with Fukuoka Prefecture. Nakatsu was founded on April 20, 1929. As of March 2017, the city has an estimated population of 84,701 a ...
starting in November 2004 with Nakatsu Plant 1, followed by Nakatsu Plant 2 in November 2007. The Kurume Plant was opened August 2008 in Kurume
is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 303,579 and a population density of 1,320 persons per km². The total area is 229.96 km².
On February 5, 2005, the town of Kitano (from ...
. It also houses the Daihatsu Group Kyushu Development Center which opened in 2014.
, the following vehicles are built by Daihatsu in Japan:
Overseas
Through its majority-owned subsidiary Astra Daihatsu Motor
PT Astra Daihatsu Motor (also called ''ADM'') is an automobile manufacturing company based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is a joint venture company between Daihatsu, Astra International and Toyota Tsusho. It is the largest car manufacturer in Indones ...
, Daihatsu operates two plants in Indonesia. One is in Karawang
Karawang (Kota Karawang or Karawang Kota) is the capital of the Karawang Regency of West Java, Indonesia. It is 32 miles east of Jakarta, and had a population of 307,880 at the 2020 Census, spread over two districts of the regency - West Karawang a ...
, and the other in Sunter, Jakarta
Sunter is a neighborhood in North Jakarta, Indonesia. The neighborhood corresponds roughly with the ''Sunter Agung'' and ''Sunter Jaya'' administrative village ( id, kelurahan, desa) of Tanjung Priok subdistrict of North Jakarta. Zip code of th ...
. The Malaysian car manufacturer Perodua
The (''Second Automobile Manufacturer Private Limited''), usually abbreviated to Perodua (), is Malaysia's largest car manufacturer,
followed by PROTON Holdings, Proton.
History
It was established in 1992 and launched its first car, the Pe ...
, in which Daihatsu has a minority stake, operates two factories in Rawang, Selangor
Rawang is a town and a mukim in Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia, about 23 km northwest of city centre Kuala Lumpur.
History
Rawang was founded in the early-19th century and was one of Kuala Lumpur earliest satellite towns. During the ...
.
Notes
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{{Authority control
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1907
Car manufacturers of Japan
Companies based in Osaka Prefecture
Engine manufacturers of Japan
Toyota brands and marques
Toyota subsidiaries
Truck manufacturers of Japan
Diesel engine manufacturers
Japanese brands
Japanese companies established in 1907
Midori-kai
Toyota Group
2016 mergers and acquisitions
Companies formerly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange