The history of the Daihatsu car brand
Daihatsu is a growing brand with a rich history. The philosophy of the brand is reflected in the slogan “Make compact”. Specialists of the Japanese brand believe that compactness will become the main factor in demand in the modern world, when the range of cars is quite wide. The brand has become one of the leaders in the Japanese automotive industry. The European market and the domestic market of the land of the rising sun is experiencing a real boom in the class of compact mini-vans. Under the Daihatsu brand, small and small cars, minivans, as well as SUVs and trucks are produced. In Russia, the brand's products are not represented today.
Founder
The history of the Japanese brand goes back to the very beginning of the 1907th century, in 1919. Then in Japan, the Hatsudoki Seizo Co. was established by the professors of Osaka University Yoshiknki and Turumi. Her specialization was the production of internal combustion engines, which were focused not on cars, but on other industries. By 1951, the leaders of the brand were thinking about making cars. Then two prototypes of trucks were produced. It was then that the leaders of the company decided to continue development in the automotive industry. In 1967 it became known as Daihatsu Kogyo Co, and in XNUMX the Toyota concern took over the brand. The success story of this Japanese car brand has spanned over a century.
History of the car brand in models
The 1930s marked the beginning of serial production. The first car of the manufacturer was the three-wheeled HA. Its engine was 500 cc. see. The invention looked like a motorcycle. Later, 4 more cars were produced, one of which was a four-wheeled one. Purchase of products began to grow rapidly. This led to the construction of a new enterprise: the Ikeda car factory was built in 1938, and Hatsudoki Seizo introduced a new car: an all-wheel drive sports car. The engine of the new car was 1,2 liters, the top of the car was open. In addition, the car was equipped with a two-speed power train. The maximum speed limit was 70 kilometers per hour.
In 1951, the brand was renamed Daihatsu Kogyo Co and completely switched to car production.
In 1957, sales of cars on three wheels rose to a high level, the company management began to prepare for the export of its products. So the production of another model was established. She was presented by the popular Midget at the time.
Since 1960, the company has been introducing the Hi-Jet pickup truck. It featured a two-stroke, two-cylinder, 356 cc engine. cm. The body was reduced in area and was less than 1,1 square meters.
In 1961, the production of the new Hi-Jet was launched - a van with two doors, in 1962 the brand launched the New-line pickup truck, which was distinguished by its large size. The car received a 797 cc engine. cm, which was cooled by water. The brand released the next generation of this car in 1963. After 3 years, the production of the Fellow car was launched, which became a two-door.
In 1966, the Daihatsu Compagno machine was delivered to England for the first time.
Since 1967, the Daihatsu brand has been under the control of Toyota. In 1968, the next novelty was released - Fellow SS. This is a small car equipped with a 32 horsepower twin carburetor engine. For the entire time of the production of compact cars, it became the first competitive one, along with the Honda No. 360.
Since 1971, the brand has released a hardtop version of the Fellow car, and in 1972 - a sedan version, which became a four-door. Then, in 1974, Daihatsu was rebranded again. Now the brand was called Daihatsu Motor Company. And since 1975, he has released a compact car Daihatsu Charmant.
In 1976, the manufacturer introduced the Cuore (Domino) car, the engine of which had 2 cylinders and a volume of 547 cc. see At the same time, the company released the Taft SUV, which became all-wheel drive. It was equipped with different engines: from a 1-liter, running on gasoline, to a 2,5-liter, running on diesel fuel. In 1977, a new car appeared - Charade.
Since 1980, the brand launched a commercial version of Cuore, first under the name Mira Cuore, and then the name was changed to Mira. In 1983, a turbo version of this car appeared.
1984 was a landmark year with the release of the Rocky SUV, which replaced the Taft.
The assembly of Daihatsu cars began to work in China. By 1985, the number of units produced under the Daihatsu brand amounted to about 10 million. The Italian market received Charad cars, which began to be produced by Alfa Romeo. In European countries, small cars became very popular, and consequently, the level of sales of Daihatsu products increased.
In 1986, Charade began to be assembled in China. A car was produced - Leeza, which also appeared in the turbo version. The latter could develop power up to 50 horsepower and became a three-door.
In 1989, the brand launched 2 more new cars: Applause and Feroza. Under an agreement with the Korean brand Asia Motors, Daihatsu began producing the Sportrak in the 90s. 1990 marks the launch of the next generation Mira. Its feature was the installation of the 4WS and 4WD systems together. This has never happened in the history of the automotive industry.
In 1992, Daihatsu Leeza replaced the Opti with three doors, then released in a five-door version. At the same time, the assembly of the Hijet was launched at a joint venture with Piaggio VE in Italy. And the Charade Gtti car became the leader among the representatives of the A-7 class in the Safari Rally.
The next model presented by the manufacturer in 1995 in the land of the rising sun was a small machine Move, the designers of which, together with Daihatsu, were the specialists of the IDEA company. It was slightly enlarged compared to the K-car. The small body is compensated for here by the fact that the car has become tall. In 1996, the Gran Move (Pyzar), Midget II and Opti Classic machines were created.
In 1990, the manufacturer celebrated its anniversary, the brand turned 90 years old. Throughout its rich history of existence, the brand has already released 10 million units. The range, in turn, was supplemented by the Mira Classic, Terios and Move Custom models.
By 1998, the brand had already produced 20 million units. In Frankfurt, the Terios Kid car is presented, which has a cross-country ability in any road conditions. It is equipped with five seats, which makes it a family one. Then Siron appeared, and the exterior of the new Move class car was created by the designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. In 1990, the line was joined by Atrai Wagon, Naked, Mira Gino cars.
Several car factories of the brand received certificates ISO 90011 and ISO 14001. The production of new cars Atrai, YRV, Max continued.
With the Toyota brand, the Japanese auto industry leader launched the Terios. At the same time, the Japanese car manufacturer was concerned about the environmental situation and was able to achieve a minimum emission of harmful substances. Since 2002, the Copen Roadster has been launched.
At showrooms in the capital of Japan and Frankfurt, the brand presented small cars Micro-3L with removable top panels, a five-seater compact YRV, as well as an EZ-U, which, with a maximum length of 3,4 m, did not have front and rear overhangs.
The next novelty of the lineup is the Kopen Microroadster. The car is a small copy of the Audi TT, which is equipped with lighting from the New Beetle. And for off-road, a compact SUV SP-4 has been developed, the back cover of which is sliding. The car itself is all-wheel drive.
Today, Daihatsu sells cars in many countries, the number of which already exceeds a hundred. A wide assortment of the model range ensures high demand and a good level of implementation. This is facilitated by the richest experience and history in the automotive industry of the Japanese brand, which has become one of the leaders in the automotive industry in the production of small cars that are in demand in modern conditions.
