JDMpire

Hot on the heels of the Daihatsu Be-go, its badge twin the Toyota Rush gets a similar update. (more…)

The Daihatsu Be-go mini-SUV gets an update, which means a facelifted Toyota Rush can’t be far behind. (more…)

Make your friends stand and hold your umbrellas as you recline in comfort in your Daihatsu Tanto Welcome Seat. Now we’ll see who’s the queen bee!

[Daihatsu]

The Move Conte joins the Move Custom, and the Move Latte, and the plain-Jane Move in the Daihatsu lineup. Here’s a minisite to go along with it. (more…)

Daihatsu released a couple of variations on its Move kei car on June 2. The more basic Move L-Selection (picture after the jump) comes standard with height-adjustable driver’s seat, tilt wheel, a 4AT, adjustable shoulder belt anchors and a shiny new grille.

The higher grade Move Custom XC Edition, offers the discerning kei car buyer HID headlamps, 14in alloy wheels, turn sigs embedded in the door mirrors, CVT, and orange lit gauges.
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Every Japanese car company makes a considerable effort to assist the disabled. Usually this means designing vehicles with wheelchair lifts in the rear or swiveling drivers seats for ease of ingress/egress. Daihatsu has taken a new tack on the problem with the Tanto Sloper, released May 21, a kei car with a ramp that folds out of the rear hatch. While this is definitely a great feature for the wheelchair bound, call me callous but I’m imagining deploying a motorcycle out of the back at speed, a la Knight Industries 2000.

[Daihatsu]

Toyota’s increased stake in Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries has apparently obviated a need for FHI-developed kei cars. According to this post on Autoblog, Toyota-owned Daihatsu will now supply Subaru with its kei cars, meaning no more Stella, Sonica, R1 or R2. Well, we’re not so sure. According to Toyota:

Daihatsu is to supply FHI with minivehicles and an FHI version of the Daihatsu “Coo” compact car on an OEM basis… The OEM supply of minivehicles for the Japanese market to FHI by Daihatsu is expected to allow FHI to focus its R&D and production resources on its main products. Such supply is planned to start in the second half of 2009. This arrangement is also expected to enable Daihatsu to improve its business efficiency, such as through increasing its cost competitiveness due to increased production volume.

Well, this certainly looks like Subaru keis are on the chopping block, but the language is sufficiently vague that we won’t discount them just yet.

Last week, Toyota increased its stake in Subaru parent company Fuji Heavy Industries from the 8.7%, purchased from GM in 2005, to 16.5%. Now, Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe has officially confirmed that the much-speculated RWD Toyota-Subaru shared platform is in the works. Long rumored to be a resurrection of the AE86 or even a return to the RWD Celica last seen in 1985, the new car will be powered by a Subaru flat four.

Ideally, the two cars will be different enough so that they won’t really be badge engineered. This is pure conjecture, but I hope the Subaru will have the AWD drivetrain Subies are known for, while the Toyota gets full RWD.

In the same press release, Toyota also announced that Subaru would be getting a version of the Daihatsu Coo / Toyota bB.

[Source: Toyota]