The Hatsudoki Seizo Company was founded in 1907, though the Japanese company would change its name to Daihatsu Motor Company in 1951. The brand is known for specialising in Keicars – a category of small Japanese cars designed to be affordable in order to promote the industry in post-war Japan.
A link with the country’s biggest manufacturer – Toyota – was established in 1967, eventually leading to Toyota owning a 51.2% stake in the company. Approximately one eighth of the models produced by Daihatsu plants are now for Toyota.
Originally the brand was known for producing three-wheelers and it continued to do so for many years. During the 1960s, though, the company started to expand – arriving in the UK in 1966. By 1988 Daihatsu USA had been established but this venture was short lived as poor sales forced a withdrawal from the American market in 1992.
Difficulties in Australia have forced a recent withdrawal there also but the company has been more successful in Europe and the UK. Daihatsu was the first Japanese manufacturer to export to Britain and has been a regular feature of the market for 40 years, leading the way for an influx of oriental cars to the country in the late 1960s.
Daihatsu prides itself on efforts to develop new technologies and is heavily involved with research into new safety systems and more environmentally friendly engines. The design of the Yaris engine (Toyota’s most successful small car) came from Daihatsu and with the brand exporting to 140 countries worldwide it has helped Toyota become one of the world’s main manufacturing corporations.
EuroNCAP Safety Ratings for Daihatsu cars
The European New Car Assessment Programme produces reports on the safety of vehicles based on the results of several crash tests. As well as measuring how the car will hold up in a crash the risk to a pedestrian struck by the car is assessed. The star ratings (maximum 5) of key Daihatsu models are shown below.
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