Toyota subsidiary Daihatsu has marketed mini-cars and light trucks in the Pacific Rim and South America for several decades. Daihatsu is bridging its past with its future at the Tokyo Motor Show with a 15 vehicle presentation. The Japanese automaker will display nine production models during the show including the Mira hatchback and the YPV four-door sedan. Daihatsu should get more attention for a half-dozen concept vehicles headlined by the e:S concept that foreshadow the automaker’s future models.
The e:S (Eco and Smart) is a four-seat minicar designed by Daihatsu to symbolize the features that will be used in future models. This concept minicar features a 660cc gas engine with a combustion control system to increase piston efficiency, thereby improving fuel efficiency. The start-stop system installed in the e:S shuts down the engine at full stops to avoid fuel use when idle. The e:S concept weighs in at 1,500 pounds thanks to lightweight foam, plastic and composite elements used from bumper to bumper. Daihatsu claims that a production version of the e:S would achieve 70 miles per gallon.
Daihatsu’s “Innovation for Tomorrow” presentation includes the basket, Deca Deca and Tanto Exe concepts. The basket concept minicar contains four seats and features a convertible hard top to ensure passenger comfort in warm weather. The Deca Deca “super box” concept is notable for side-by-side front and rear doors to eliminate view-inhibiting pillars. The Tanto Exe brings together the previous Tanto model’s compact design with lighter materials employed throughout Daihatsu’s models.
The production and concept vehicles featured by Daihatsu in Tokyo include no hybrids or all-electric vehicles. Skeptics of the Toyota brand might say that Daihatsu models are designed only to take advantage of credits and incentives rather than greening the auto industry. These liabilities may make Toyota look like its moving from a frontrunner to a stagnate also-ran but the Daihatsu concepts have merits for green vehicle lovers. The use of light materials in the Tanto Exe, the high fuel mileage of the e:S and the unique styling of other concepts show that Toyota is following the design line toward greener vehicles. This line may be maddening to follow for eco-conscious consumers but it is cost-effective for Toyota and reduces fuel consumption in the long run.
