Daihatsu Motor Company

Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (ダイハツ) TYO: 7262 is a Japanese manufacturer of cars, especially compact/small cars. These cars are also known as kei jidosha in Japan.

Daihatsu researches hybrid vehicles and two stroke diesel engines.

Company history

• 1907 Hatsudoki Seizo Co., Ltd. founded
• 1951 Company renamed: Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.
• 1967 Starting cooperation with Toyota Motor Corporation
• 1988 Daihatsu USA launched with the Charade and Rocky
• 1992 Daihatsu USA closed in February
• 1999 Becomes subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation

It was reported on 31 March 2005, that Toyota will pull Daihatsu out of the Australian market, after sales dwindled severely. Sales were down a third so far in 2005, from 816 to just 541 vehicles. This is in spite of the new-car market in Australia growing 7%. Daihatsu will completely wind up sales in March 2006. Daihatsu has been in the Australian market for almost 40 years. The same was thought about Daihatsu´s operations in Chile, where its a well known brand for its `70s models as the Charade or Cuore, after sales of around 10 units in 2004 and 2005 (each year). But Toyota announced it will take the distribution for Daihatsu in Chile, to get back to the glory years or the brand there. There will be many new models as well. Maybe the same can happen in Australia. Daihatsu is quite popular in Venezuela nowadays, with the Terios.