Autoblog

Last week's announcement that Toyota wants to raise its stake in Subaru's parent company Fuji Heavy Industries looked to have no down side. Subaru gets $300 million with which to build a new factory, Toyota gets greater access to FHI's high tech batteries for hybrids, and both get to build the affordable RWD/AWD coupe that we're all waiting for.

But the bean counters in Toyota City have noticed that Subaru's kei car division spends a fortune on developing quirky micro cars such as the supercharged Vivio that Colin McRae campaigned in his first rally (above), the worlds smallest four-seat convertible (below) and the fabulous R2D2. The trouble is, profit margins on such marvels of engineering are wafer thin, and that is not the Toyota way. So, come the next decade, Subaru will only sell OEM kei cars made by another member of the Toyota family, Daihatsu.

Most analysts think this this is a good idea, but this one ain't so sure. Eighteen years ago I bought a rear-engined rear-wheel-drive Subaru Sambar. It was such a hoot to drive that I traded up to a Rex, then an RX-R, then a WRX and I now drive a Forester STI. In all likelyhood, my next car will be an Impreza STI.

Will rebadged Daihatsus garner such brand loyalty from young buyers in 2010?

Forget about light-emitting diode (LED) or liquid crystal display (LCD) dashboards. According to Daihatsu, the next hot ticket will be 3D holographic technology. Daihatsu teamed up with Provision Interactive Technologies to implement a 3D dashboard for their latest concept car which debuted at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show. Attendees were so impressed with the technology, that Provision raced to file a new patent for the product they call "HLXX."

The HLXX technology utilizes a traditional 2D flat screen dashboard with a second 3D holographic screen. During normal operation, the driver views instrument gauges on the 2D monitor. If warnings or alerts occur, the 3D system instantly presents the information to the operator as a three-dimensional image -- facilitating immediate driver awareness and recognition, according to Provision. Daihatsu plans to incorporate HLXX technology into their vehicles by 2012. Until then, you'll just have to imagine what it looks like... as for obvious reasons, a flat JPEG computer image cannot replicate the hologram!

[Source: CNN Money]

The 2007 Tokyo Motor Show ended last week, but today we're cleaning out our closet of yet-to-be published posts from this biggest of biannual Japanese auto shows.
click above image for more live pics of the Daihatsu HSC Concept

We missed the Daihatsu HSC at Frankfurt somehow, but stumbled across the little concept in Tokyo. Its "catamaran-like underbody", a CD value of 0.28, and idling stop function coupled to an advanced CVT all adds up to 60 mpg. Check out those mirrors and the funky interior, too. Looking around the stand here in Tokyo, it strikes us that a lack of B pillars and A pillars that flow into the headlights may well become Daihatsu trademarks over the coming years.

click above image to view more live shots of the Mud Master-C

Didn't Space 1999's Moon Base Alpha have a couple of these in the garage?

Looking like a Mitsubishi Delica that's spent too much time in the boil wash, Daihatsu's Mud Master-C is a kei car, but with lofty ambitions. This is far from Daihatsu's first foray into the off road world - they've made jeeps and even jacked up kei vans in the past - albeit all shod with far smaller wheels than these cool 16-inch alloys. Who knows, this could even make production. Click here to read our original post with more details on Mud Master Concept and check out the gallery of live shots below.

click above image for 17 more pics of the Daihatsu Mud Master-C Concept

The Mud Master-C Concept from Daihatsu looks like a Dakar rally van that's been left in the wash too long. It's a true truck with a body-on-frame design, though. It's generous ride height and copious degrees of approach and departure angles mean that the Mud Master-C can actually go places while leaving an eency-weency footprint in its wake.

Daihatsu says that there are three gullwing doors on the concept, though they're really hatches, one on each side and one on the back. The truly neat thing about the Mud Master-C Concept is that it's configurable. For instance, the mountain bike support model developed with professional cyclist Raita Suzuki (shown at right) is configured to carry a pair of bikes, but the concept can also be configured as an open bed truck capable of carrying an ATV or even a crane!

Check out more info and Daihatsu's press release after the jump, and be sure to browse the gallery to see the Mud Master-C's unique features.

[Source: Daihatsu]

The Daihatsu Copen is another example of a fun little car offered overseas that we wish would make the journey over the Atlantic to American shores. To sweeten the bitter-sweet pill, Daihatsu's British importer has coaxed the Toyota subsidiary to introduce a number of revisions that make the quirky little roadster even more desirable.

For 2007, the Copen has received an engine transplant. Replacing the previous tiny 660cc turbo engine is the 1.3-liter twin-cam engine from the Sirion hatchback, producing just 86 horsepower, a 19hp increase over the outgoing engine plus an extra 15 lb-ft of torque. It's mounted transversely up front and features the world's first self-regenerating catalyst with temperature-sensitive palladium crystals. The innovative engine is good enough to drop a couple seconds off the 0-60 time, bringing the sprint down to 9.5 seconds while returning an average 47 mpg on the combined cycle. It's a tiny motor, but it's powering a tiny car that weighs in at just 850 kg, despite the power hardtop. The only visible additions for the new model are a new lip spoiler on the rear decklid under which the roof disappears and a new choice of colors.

The revised roadster comes with a bigger engine, producing more power while returning better fuel economy and producing lower emissions. Not enough? The new Copen sells in the UK for 1500 less than the previous model, retailing in old Blimey for just 10,995. Designed to fit into the Japanese Kei-car category, the Copen continues to offer a power aluminum roof that disappears in just 20 seconds, gas shocks and a host of other goodies. We hope the people at DaimlerChrysler are paying attention, because they've been beaten by Toyota yet again: this is what the Smart Roadster should have been from the get-go.

Hungry for more? Follow the jump for another pic and the full press release.

[Source: Daihatsu]

click above image to view high-resolution gallery

The Nippon obsessed at Winding Road have unearthed another gem from DAMD that was present at this year's Tokyo Auto Salon. This time the base vehicle is a Daihatsu Move and Move Custom, which was redesigned just last October. This time, instead of injecting Cadillac into the little kei car, DAMD chose to instead graft the grille of a Chrysler 300 onto the nose of the Move and Move Custom. Rather than use the standard grille slats, DAMD went with a chrome mesh similar to the kind used for aftermarket grille inserts in the U.S. Like the DAMD mini Escalade we showed you yesterday, the DAMD Concept B Mono, as this car is called, also features a few other minor exterior add-ons along with new leather trimming on the interior.

[Source: DAMD via Winding Road]

This isn't one of those "dealer takes innocent widow for all she has" stories. Nor another "Seattle dealer steals disabled man's cash and cars" post. Today's post is only slightly unsettling. This is a tale of a British Daihatsu dealer that helped a little old lady find a more practical and reliable vehicle for her motoring needs. Mrs. Margaret Hackett from Fenay Bridge, Nr Huddersfield, went with a friend to Cross Keys Garage, Morley, in Leeds to try to find a vehicle that would meet her current needs. Garage owner Anthony Dawson convinced her that a new Daihatsu Sirion 1.0 SE was the car for her.

Mrs. Hackett agreed and so Mr. Dawson arranged to deliver her new car and pick up her trades. Along with her 1999 Rover 400, a tow truck was dispatched to collect her late husband's project car - a 1935 Daimler Lanchester. Dramatic pause. A Daimler for a Daihatsu. In all fairness we don't have the details about the financial aspects of the transaction, but we do know that the Daimler wasn't in running order. It was a project that went unfinished when Mr. Hackett passed away. The engine in the Daimler had seized from sitting for 11 years, but after a new battery was fitted and a quick tune-up was completed, the hand crank managed to turn it over and it runs well now. Doesn't seem fair to us, but then again, we haven't been able to sample a new Daihatsu for years.

[Source: Daihatsu]

First, the good news: AutoExpress is reporting that Subaru is in the process of planning a revival of their AWD wonder runt, the Justy. The bad news: it'll be front-wheel drive and a rebadged Daihatsu Sirion (pictured).

For those of you unaware of the joys of the little two-door Subie: it was unceremoniously axed in 1996 after sales took a sharp, yet predictable, turn southward. Although, it was an ill-handling, underpowered hatch, the Justy was the attainable alternative for those of us yearning for a Mazda 323 GTX, but unable to find/afford one.

The soon-to-be badge-swapped Sirion has been available in Japan and Europe since 1998, and is powered by either a 1-liter three-cylinder or 1.3-liter four, with the latter making the sprint to 60 in a few clicks over 11 seconds. At least the underpowered tradition will live on.

[Source: AutoExpress]

In an effor to expand its European offerings and meet tighter emissions requirements, Subaru has made a deal with Toyota to re-badge as many as 10,000 small cars. Partly owned by Toyota, Subaru will sell slightly modified Daihatsu (a Toyota subsidiary) Sirions (also known as the Daihatsu Boon in Japan and the Toyota Passo) in Europe. The small Subes could be on sale as early as later this year. No word yet on what the new variant will be called and we aren't holding our breath for a high-horsepower rally version any time soon.

[Source: AP via Yahoo]