Currently reading: Daihatsu reveals 94.1mpg concept car at Tokyo motor show
Daihatsu D-Base is expected to reach production next year; kei car vans also revealed

This 94.1mpg Daihatsu D-Base concept has been unveiled at the Tokyo motor show. It is one of several vehicles unveiled that conform to Japan’s small kei car regulations.

Kei cars are restricted in size, engine displacement and power output, and are given tax and parking breaks in Japan as a result. The market for such cars is hugely important to car makers in Japan, where they account for almost 40% of all sales. Bodystyles traditionally range from sports cars and family hatchbacks through to transporter vans.

Blog - Why can't we drive kei cars in the UK

The D-Base concept shows the styling of the next-generation Daihatsu Mira kei car, which is known in Japan as one of the most fuel-efficient cars in the class. In a statement, Daihatsu said the D-Base is a “proposal for a new basic small car” and is being shown “to express the spirit of innovation in the next generation of environmental vehicles”.

To meet kei car regulations, it is 3.4 metres long, 1.48 metres wide and 1.49 metres high and powered by a 660cc three-cylinder engine. Fuel economy, which is boosted by regenerative braking, is claimed to be 94.1mpg on the Japanese test cycle.

Daihatsu is also showing three van concepts built to kei car regulations, called Hinata, Tempo and Noriori. All three sit on the same front-drive platform and are built to showcase the amount of space that can be obtained in such a compact vehicle.

The Hinata is said to be the closest to production and is tipped to replace the Daihatsu Move Conte that is already sold in Japan as a micro-MPV. The production car is unlikely to have the concept’s suicide doors or extravagantly carpeted interior.

The Tempo, which is taller, is designed around the theme of a catering van, while the Noriori has been created specifically with wheelchair users in mind.

Get the latest car news, reviews and galleries from Autocar direct to your inbox every week. Enter your email address below:

Advertisement

Read our review

Car review

The Honda N Box is Japan's best-selling kei car, and is underpinning the firm's current upturn in financial fortunes

Join the debate

Comments
6
Add a comment…
jason_recliner 20 October 2015

Zany!

I love this stuff!
JIMBOB 19 October 2015

Typical Daihatsu, plain and somehow weird?

Lots of styling features from other rival city cars, still oddly appealing. Maybe the time is right to bring Daihatsu back to the UK as a true Japanese small car brand.
LP in Brighton 20 October 2015

Weird and wonderful?

I know what you mean. It's quite a funky little thing, and I actually quite like this car's narrowness which would make it handy for parking. I can't see Daihatsu reappearing here, but maybe we'll see this car in a few years time badged as a Proton or Subaru?
Moparman 19 October 2015

Lost in Translation

Instead of "The Base" it reads closer to "Debase." I am sure that is not what the manufacturer had in mind.