The is a series of

light commercial vehicles A light commercial vehicle (LCV) in the European Union, Australia and New Zealand is a commercial carrier vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of no more than 3.5 metric tons (tonnes). The LCV designation is also occasionally used in both Cana ...

(

van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

s and

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

s) produced and sold by the Japanese automaker

Daihatsu , commonly known as Daihatsu, is a Japanese automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest surviving Japanese internal combustion engine manufacturers. The company's headquarters are located in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture. Historically, Daihatsu was ...

since late 2007. It is also

rebadge In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand (at high cost or risk), a man ...

d and marketed by

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 ...

as the Toyota LiteAce and Toyota TownAce since 2008, and by

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...

in Japan as the Mazda Bongo since 2020.

Overview

Developed by Daihatsu under the lead of chief engineer Masaharu Tezeni, the Gran Max was released in November 2007 as the replacement of the Indonesian market

Zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zeb ...

of similar size. It also replaced the

Perodua Rusa The Perodua Rusa is a cab over microvan manufactured by the Malaysian automaker Perodua between 1996 and 2007, and based on the Daihatsu Zebra. Launched on March 6, 1996, the Rusa is the first van model to be produced by a Malaysian automotive ...

in Malaysia. It is similar to the tenth-generation by its "semi-cab" configuration (front wheels located forward of the door) for both the van and pickup models. Produced in Indonesia by

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 ...

, it is powered by 1,298 cc ('' K3-DE'' EFI), 1,495 cc ('' 3SZ-VE''

VVT-i VVT-i, or Variable Valve Timing with intelligence, is an automobile variable valve timing technology developed by Toyota. It was first introduced in 1995 with the ''2JZ-GE'' engine found in the JZS155 Toyota Crown and Crown Majesta. The VVT-i ...

) and 1,496 cc ('' 2NR-VE''

Dual VVT-i VVT-i, or Variable Valve Timing with intelligence, is an automobile variable valve timing technology developed by Toyota. It was first introduced in 1995 with the '' 2JZ-GE'' engine found in the JZS155 Toyota Crown and Crown Majesta. The VV ...

, since 2020)

petrol Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...

engines and is both wider and longer than the

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 ...

-sized Hijet.

Markets

Indonesia

The Gran Max was launched in Indonesia on 6 November 2007 as the successor to the aging Zebra Espass pickup and commercial van. It was initially available with 1.3-litre ''K3-DE'' and 1.5-litre ''3SZ-VE'' petrol engines. Both engines were only paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. In August 2022, the ''3SZ-VE'' engine option was replaced by the newer ''2NR-VE'' unit. Other improvements include an updated four-spoke steering wheel, additional cup holder,

electric power steering A power steering is a mechanical device equipped on a motor vehicle that helps drivers steer the vehicle by reducing steering effort needed to turn the steering wheel, making it easier for the vehicle to turn or maneuver at lower speeds. Hydraul ...

, larger 14-inch alloy wheels, and a higher ground clearance by . No other changes were made to the exterior.

Japan

Since February 2008, the Gran Max has been exported to Japan where it was firstly sold as the Toyota LiteAce/TownAce, which is positioned below the

HiAce The (pronounced "High Ace") is a light commercial vehicle produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. First launched in October 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of body configurations, including a minivan/ ...

. With the

facelift A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (from the Ancient Greek () "wrinkle", and () "excision", the surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are mult ...

ed model released in 2020, the LiteAce-badged model was discontinued due to integration of Japanese Toyota dealers. At the same time, Daihatsu started selling the vehicle in Japan as the Gran Max, slotting it above the Hijet kei vehicles. It is the first

captive import Captive import is a marketing term and a strategy for a vehicle that is foreign-built and sold under the name of an importer or by a domestic automaker through its own dealer distribution system. The foreign vehicle may be produced by a subsidiar ...

product in the Japanese Daihatsu lineup. It is also exported to Japan under Mazda brand as the Bongo, which replaced the previous Mazda-built models. These models are offered with optional

collision avoidance system A collision avoidance system (CAS), also known as a pre-crash system, forward collision warning system, or collision mitigation system, is an advanced driver-assistance system designed to prevent or reduce the severity of a collision. In its ...

marketed as Smart Assist.

Taiwan

The pickup was launched for pre-sale in Taiwan in November 2021, and has been assembled locally by

Kuozui Motors Kuozui Motors () is a Taiwanese manufacturing company that builds Toyotas under license for the domestic market. It began as a co-ownership of Hino Motors and Hotai Motor. The corporation was spun off and became independent in the 1980s. Toyota ...

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

. Deliveries started in February 2022. The top grade is available with collision avoidance system marketed as

Toyota Safety Sense A collision avoidance system (CAS), also known as a pre-crash system, forward collision warning system, or collision mitigation system, is an advanced driver-assistance system designed to prevent or reduce the severity of a collision. In its ...

. In October 2022, the company started to take pre-orders for the van model.

Philippines

In the Philippines, the was launched on 15 July 2022 with the 1.5-litre ''2NR-VE'' engine and a 5-speed manual transmission. It is available in Pickup, Panel Van, FX Utility Van and Cargo Van models (the latter two were added in August 2022).

GCC

The van was released in GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia and the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

in July 2022 with the 1.5-litre ''2NR-VE'' engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission.

Gallery

;Gran Max File:2015 Daihatsu Gran Max 1.5 D VVT-i (rear), Malang.jpg, 2015 Gran Max 1.5 D van (S402RV; pre-facelift, Indonesia) File:2009 Daihatsu Gran Max Van (5698959810).jpg, 2009 Gran Max 1.3 Blind Van (S401RV; pre-facelift, Indonesia) File:DaihatsuGranMaxDLiPU.jpg, 2010 Gran Max 1.3 DLi pickup (S401RP; pre-facelift, Indonesia) File:Daihatsu Gran Max (1).jpg, Gran Max luton cargo box (pre-facelift, Malaysia) ;LiteAce/TownAce File:LiteaceS402.jpg, Toyota LiteAce Van GL (S402M, Japan) File:LiteaceS402rear.jpg, LiteAce Van GL (S402M, Japan) File:TownaceS402.jpg, Toyota TownAce Van DX (S402M; pre-facelift, Japan) File:TownaceS402rear.jpg, TownAce Van DX (S402M; pre-facelift, Japan) File:Toyota TOWNACE DX 2WD (5BF-S403M-ZQDFJD) front.jpg, TownAce Van DX (S403M; facelift, Japan) File:Toyota TOWNACE DX 2WD (5BF-S403M-ZQDFJD) rear.jpg, TownAce Van DX (S403M; facelift, Japan) File:Toyota TOWNACE TRUCK DX 2WD・5MT (5BF-S403U-TMRFJD) front (cropped).jpg, TownAce Truck DX (S403U; facelift, Japan) File:TownaceS402interior.jpg, TownAce interior (pre-facelift) File:Interior of a Toyota LiteAce FX (20221019).jpg, LiteAce interior (facelift) ;Bongo File:Mazda BONGO VAN DX (5BF-S403Z) front.jpg, Mazda Bongo Van DX (S403Z, Japan) File:Mazda BONGO VAN DX (5BF-S403Z) rear.jpg, Bongo Van DX (S403Z, Japan)

References

External links

* (Japan) * (Indonesia, van) * (Indonesia, pickup) {{Mazda road car timeline 1990s–present Gran Max Vehicles introduced in 2007 Vans Pickup trucks Rear-wheel-drive vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles