Custom Daihatsu Midget II Thinks it's a 1935-1937 Ford ... Sorta

What the actual hell is this? I mean, I know what it is, but what the hell?

Well, it's technically a 1996 Daihatsu Midget II kei truck. Yes, the same one everyone drove in Gran Turismo. However, this one has been, well, customized to look like a 1935-1937 Ford if you're on acid. These are weird little beasts to begin with, but how do you make a weird car even weirder? Do I even need to explain? Look at at this damn thing.

Small Car Highlights from Tokyo and LA Auto Shows

Auto show season is upon us. The two that are going on right now are the Tokyo Motor Show and LA Auto Show. I am, unfortunately, at neither. However, that doesn't mean I've been oblivious to some of the cool small car concepts and production vehicles that have appeared. Here are a few that have caught my eye.

Daihatsu Kopen Concept

The Kopen (or Copen) is a tiny two-seat convertible. Past iterations have looked a lot like miniature Audi TTs. However, the above-pictured Kopen Concept from the Tokyo show look much less Audi. No mention of a powerplant or anything, but it is eye catching.

Honda S660 Concept

This one falls into the "please please please please please build it and bring it to North America" category. This tiny two-seat Honda, which will likely not come to this side of the pond, will be powered by a turbocharged 1.0-liter engine making 100 horsepower and have a retractable roof.

Nissan Sentra Nismo Concept

Moving back to this side of the ocean, Nissan is showing off its Sentra NISMO concept at the LA show. Powered by an amped-up version of the Nissan Juke engine (1.6-liter turbocharged four cylinder making 240 hp), Nissan has taken is not-so-exciting Sentra and made it into something special. Kudos for not calling it an SE-R, by the way. As we mentioned in our 2013 Sentra review, the new Sentra is very improved, and if they offer it with the turbo powerplant, it might just be great.

Nissan Juke Nismo RS

Since we're on the Nissan subject, Nissan showed off its Juke Nismo RS at LA, too. It takes the already tarted-up Juke Nismo and adds 18 more horsepower, 26 ft/lbs more torque (total of 215 hp and 210 ft/lbs of torque), a limited-slip differential, and Recaro seats among other goodies. That's the good news. The bad news is you still can't get the AWD version with a manual—it's a CVT or nothing. You can, however, get a FWD and manual. We'll post up our 2013 Juke Nismo review in the coming weeks.

2015 Subaru WRX

Here's the nex-generation Subaru Impreza WRX. Powered by a 2.0-liter direct-injection boxer engine, the car makes 268 hp (up three from the last gen) and 258 ft/lbs or torque, up 14 ft/lbs. It'll be available with either a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT, which seem odd, but I'm sure Subaru will be able to sell more units if they offer it up with an automatic, too. They say 0-60 times will be in the mid five-second range, and of course it'll have AWD. We own a 2013 model and love it. The '15 looks much more bland, but it'll likely drive fantastically.

Toyota Aqua Convertible Concept

In Japan, the Prius c is called the Aqua, and Toyota brought a fun drop-top convertible concept to the Tokyo Motor Show. While the Prius c isn't the epitome of excitement, this tiny topless Toyota looks great and would undoubtedly a be a good time. You can read more about it at Autoblog.

Daihatsu FC凸DECK

As if I had to tell you this came from the Tokyo show, the Daihatsu FC凸DECK is a cabover thing powered by a fuel cell. It's crazy concepts like this that make me look forward to the Tokyo Motor show every couple of years. It's crazy, it's kooky, and it's totally Japanese. So cool, so unlikely to make production, and so wonderful.

The Daihatsu Hijet is better at picking up women than a Lamborghini. Literally.

Although the Lambo would school a Hijet in the corners, you can't get many beer kegs into a Gallardo, either. 

Love this ad. (Thanks for the pic, Matt U.)

Sean's small car pics from Japan

A Daihatsu Mira Gino. Yes, that's all stock.

 My friend Sean, who runs the blog PunkSmurph.com, is on a trip to Japan. He was nice enough to snap some photos of some of the smaller cars of Japan while he's there. Here are a few of the cool little vehicles he snapped. Just for the record, I'm envious of both the cars and your trip. Safe travels, Sean.

Awesome off-road mini truck

Really, what else is there to say about this 4WD Daihatsu Hijet kei truck other than it's awesome? I wonder if it comes with the dog? Yes, I'll take one of each, thanks. This isn't the first time I've posted this up here, but this is a much better picture. So much want. This was another small rig at The King of the Hammers off-road race in Johnson Valley, CA.

What the hell? Daihatsu Midget II wearing Citroën clothing

Sometimes you find the darndest things searching Google Images. For example, this Daihatsu Midget II with bodywork and paint to make it look (OK, resemble) a Citroën military vehicle. From Japanese-truck.com, this is one odd yet awesome little Midget II. However, I did ask ... what the hell?

LINK
Japanese-Trucks.com

Daihatsu Hijet at King of the Hammers

I was at King of the Hammers this week for my day job. What an awesome off-road event. While in the pits, I spotted this little Daihatsu Hijet. Some ATV tires, a lift, and bam: mini off roader. Looks like a ton of fun; I want one.

Daihatsu Midget II on Watanabes screams its 660cc heart out

Be it the fact I have Gran Turismo 5, or just a lunar phase, but I've been kind of on a Daihatsu Midget kick. Essentially a 660cc phonebooth with a spare tire on the front, the Midget stole the hearts of both Americans when it showed up in the Gran Turismo series.

Anyway, people do drive these things, and this video is one of the cooler ones. Love the Watanabe-style wheels, and just listen to that thing, screamin it's little engine out. Coolness, and I want one. Heck, I've even seen one in Oregon before.

A Daihatsu delivery vehicle in ... Winona, MN?

You can run into Kei cars in the most unlikely of places in the U.S. Case in point, this Daihatsu Atrai (aka "Hijet"), which is a rural delivery vehicle for Winona County in southwest Minnesota. How cool, though? I spied this little guy outside of the DMV in Winona.

This model features four-wheel drive and a twin-cam, 12-valve, three-cylinder engine.

 As you can see, this is a right-hand drive vehicle with a manual transmission.

 Yep, it's a tall vehicle. In fact, as I was taking photos, a lady stopped and said, "looks a bit tippy, eh?" Yes, ma'am. Not a corner carver. But, it looked like it had plenty of cargo room.

Of all places, I didn't expect to see this thing in Winona. But this show that municipalities/cities are buying imported kei vehicles for service duty. There must be a niche for these in the U.S.! Well, it might be a niche of a niche, but still. I wonder where they get parts and who services this little thing?

Part Italian, British, and Japanese: Two rare subcompacts at dealership

Familar with the Innocenti DeTomaso? Neither was I. However, a blogger at Hooniverse not only found one, but he found two at a dealership. Italian car, Japanese engine (Daihatsu turbo three-cylinder?), with some British MINI underpinnings. I think it's a little bit of awesome.

Thanks to Matt for the tip!

LINK
Dealership Find: Two Innocentis, To Go (Hooniverse.com)

Nostalgic Subcompact: 1988-1992 Daihatsu Charade

Do you remember the Daihatsu Charade? Do you even remember that Japanese automaker Diahatsu even sold cars in the U.S.? Well, they did, but even at the time, a lot of people didn't know.

From 1988-1992, the company offered a compact SUV called the Rocky, and a subcompact hatchback and sedan called the Charade. Kind of an odd name for a car, don't you think, especially considering Webster.com, defines a "charade" as either a "riddling verse" or a "deceptive act or pretense."

Daihatsu traces its roots back to 1907 when it created small internal combustion engines, though the company wasn't officially “Daihatsu” until 1951. It was, however, the last Japanese automaker to enter the U.S. in 1988.

The 1988-1989 U.S.-market Charades were available only has a three-door hatchback. The car had a 92.1” wheelbase, an overall length of 144.9”, and a low curb weight. It was simplar in size to the Chevrolet Spectrum or Ford Festiva. In 1988, the only engine was the 1.0-liter, three-cylinder carbureted engine making 53 horsepower through a five-speed transmission. Fuel economy was rated 32/38. For 1989, a fuel-injected 1.3-liter four cylinder making 80 horsepower became available with either a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. Fuel economy was 30/35 (manual) and 27/31 (automatic).

The Charade was fairly slab-sided in looks, but certainly par for the course in the late '80s. One distinguishing feature were the rear fenders, which were nearly flat at the tops of the arches. A Charade sedan was introduced in '90, and was 14.7” longer than the hatch.

Mechanically speaking, these vehicles were very good. In fact, in 1992, J.D. Power placed Daihatsu first in owner satisfaction after buyers had owned the vehicle for 2–3 years. That was ahead of Toyota, BMW, Honda—everybody. Problem was, Daihatsu had few customers.

According to FundingUniverse.com, Daihatsu suffered from brand awareness issues; people didn't even know Daihatsu was in the States. Plus, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, fuel was cheap, demand for small cars had declined, and Daihatsu was the ninth (and last) Japanese automaker to enter the U.S., and therefore was subjected to a voluntary Japanese-induced quota of only 12,000 vehicle exports a year.

Those who did look at the Charade were met with a high price tag. The MSRP for a 1992 Charade ranged from $6,797 to $9,997—pretty expensive for such a vehicle at the time. For that price, you could also get into a larger vehicle, such as a Honda Civic, a Nissan Sentra, or Ford Escort. Buyers could also cross shop the Suzuki Swift/Geo Metro, Ford Festiva, and Toyota Tercel. All were more established, all had more available dealer networks, all had more brand awareness; most were cheaper, too.

Although well made, the Charade (and Rocky) proved too expensive for the U.S. market. Combine this with the company's late arrival to the U.S. and the brand's underpromotion, and there wasn't much Daihatsu could do.

After slow sales (about 50,000 units total) and a loss of $14 million, Daihatsu pulled out of the U.S. in 1992. The Charade continued to be made and sold in markets all over the world, and is still part of Daihatsu's current lineup (although redesigned). In 1998, Toyota became the parent company of Daihatsu, and now sells some Toyota-made vehicles under the Daihatsu name alongside Daihatsu-designed products. An example would be the Materia, which is a rebadged Toyota bB, and is sold in Europe.

It's quite difficult to find information about the Charades marooned here in the U.S. There isn't hardly an enthusiast base to speak of in the States, although internationally, the Charade was quite popular, even for tuning (espeiclally the turbo variants that never came stateside, such as this Charade GTti from New Zealand). Genuine Daihatsu parts are still imported in the U.S. though Nagata Technology, Inc. The Web site, Daihatsu-Help.com has a list of dealers in 12 states that can get parts for the U.S. Daihatsus. Technical and parts assistance is offered at no charge.

Got anything to add about the Charade? Post it up in the comments section!

LINKS
1989 Daihatsu Charade Review (LA Times via Cars.com)
Daihatsu Motor Company Ltd. History (FundingUniverse.com)
Diahatsu planning to halt imports to U.S. (1992) (NYTimes.com)
Daihatsu-Help.com

Time Waste Wednesday: Visiting Japanese Automakers' Web Sites

For years, one of my favorite Web surfing activities has been to visit the Japanese automakers' Japanese domestic market (JDM) Web pages. It's cool to see some of the vehicles sold in Japan that don't make it to the U.S. or other parts of the world. It's also great to see some of the innovate, sometimes weird, and often very strange features some of the JDM models showcase. Many times, the Web design is really, cool, too.

Even if you don't read Japanese, many times you can navigate these pages by putting your mouse cursor over links and looking in the lower-left corner of your browser to see where the link will take you, since they're usually in English.

There are a few terms some manufacturer use on their Web sites you might not be immediately familiar with:

Lineup: This one's pretty obvious. It's the lineup of an automaker's vehicles.

Grade: The different trim levels in a specific model.

Style: Similar to a gallery, there are usually various vehicle photos here.

Keep in mind that many times the manufacturers' will have a page with all of their vehicles listed. If it's in Japanese, it's usually one of the first links on the page.

There are some fantastic sections to some of these sites. Plus which, some of the car names can be pretty interesting, too. For instance, the Mitsubishi Town Box, the Mazda Scrum Wagon, and the Daihatsu Terrios Kid. (I love this stuff!)

Also be sure to check out some of the unique features and accessories offered in Japan that we don't get here in the States. Just start paging through some of the Web sites below; it's a great waste of time (and is a lot of fun).

LINKS
www.Daihatsu.co.jp
www.Honda.co.jp
www.Mazda.co.jp
www.Mitsubishi.co.jp
www.Nissan.co.jp
www.Subaru.co.jp
www.Suzuki.co.jp
Toyota.jp

Subaru Dex

Edmunds Inside Line has a nice little article on the upcoming Subaru Dex, which is a result of the deal struck by Toyota and Subaru. The Dex may look somewhat familiar to you; it's the same vehicle as the Toyota bB in Japan, and the Daihatsu Materia in Japan and Europe.

I like it, and have liked the new bB/Materia since it debuted in Japan in 2005. Who knows: Maybe this one will find its way across the pond? The lil' box would cost about $15,000-$20,000 according to Edmunds.

LINKS
Japan: Subaru Dex (Edmunds Inside Line)
Subaru Japan Dex page