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Daihatsu’s funky new Materia mini-MPV goes on sale in July from £10,995 on-the-road offering outstanding interior space and distinctive styling. In fact, the boxy yet wide and squat design theme with flared wheelarches and minimum overhangs has created a cult-following in Japan – and now the United States – with several manufacturers struggling to keep up with consumer demand. Key competitors in the UK and Europe are the similar-sized but move conservatively-styled Renault Modus and Vauxhall/Opel Meriva. All are compact and versatile with a high-command driving position that especially appeals to women.

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Compact car specialist, Daihatsu, is enjoying a 53.3 per cent passenger car sales increase so far this year with no sign of any drop in demand. In fact, March – the UK’s biggest month for overall sales – showed a 60.8 per cent increase. Registrations were 1,024 units compared with 637 sales in March 2006, while Daihatsu’s year-to-date sales stand at 1,464 cars.

“This is even better news than it first appears,” said Daihatsu Vehicle Distributors, Managing Director, Paul Tunnicliffe.

“Our last best March for car sales was in 1999 when we had eight model lines. Now, we are down to two vehicles, the latest Terios 4×4 and Sirion supermini.”

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Daihatsu’s cute and timeless Copen sports car has just become considerably more desirable with a punchy yet more frugal new 1.3 litre engine, higher gearing to enhance refinement and a sharp new price of only £10,995 on-the-road. This is a full £2,500 less than the original model introduced for the ’04 model year which rapidly attracted an enthusiastic fan club seduced by its cute, timeless looks, effortless electric metal folding roof and nimble handling.

Originally conceived for the Japanese Kei-car market only, the UK’s importer, Daihatsu Vehicle Distributors Limited, persuaded the factory to re-engineer the tiny 660 cc turbo petrol engine to comply with European Whole Vehicle Type Approval.

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Japanese manufacturer, Daihatsu is starting the New Year with a bang, offering big price savings on selected models as a lead-up to its 100-year celebrations. All new Daihatsu Terios compact 4×4s are available with a £1,000 price cut, while the best-selling Sirion range of five-door hatchbacks enjoy a £500 saving. The offer ends on March 31.

It means the Terios 1.5 S now costs £11,995 on-the-road despite a high standard specification which includes air-conditioning, power-steering, ABS with EBD and full-time four-wheel drive with electronic centre diff-lock.

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Daihatsu announced that the fully redesigned mini vehicle Mira will be launched in Japan on December 18. The new Mira, the seventh generation of the series, has been completely updated, including the platform and the engine.

Development sought to maintain the smart styling, space and utility that have long characterized the Mira while enhancing quality and value to a new level that far exceeds other vehicles in its class. The lineup includes two vehicle types, each with its own distinctive characteristics: the Mira, which is based on the concept of “a high quality mini vehicle for city driving,” and the Mira Custom, based on the concept of a “premium personalized mini vehicle.”

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Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it will launch a new compact SUV Terios in Indonesia in January 2007. The aim, in response to increasing demand in Indonesia for compact SUVs, is to expand the market while meeting various customer needs. The new SUV will be produced at P.T. Astra Daihatsu Motor (ADM), which is Daihatsu’s production base in Indonesia, and will be sold through P.T. Astra International (AI). Plans also call for the new SUV to be supplied to Toyota on an OEM basis in Indonesia under the name Rush.

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Daihatsu exhibits the D-01 prototype, which is scheduled to go on sale in mid-2007, and other vehicles at Auto China 2006 (Beijing Motor Show). The motor show is held from November 18 to 27 at the China International Exhibition Center and the National Agricultural Exhibition Center.

Daihatsu concluded a technology licensing agreement with China FAW Group Corporation in October of last year and will start production of a new compact multi-purpose passenger car in Jilin City, Jilin Province in mid-2007. Full-scale sales of the new vehicle will be conducted in partnership with China FAW Group under the Daihatsu brand name.

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Daihatsu announced the launch in Japan of the fully redesigned mini vehicle MOVE on October 5. The redesigned MOVE has been completely updated from the platform to the engine and developed with the aim of evolving on a new level that transcends its class. Two models have been created, the MOVE, based on the concept of “my energetic and versatile,” and the MOVE Custom, which is based on the concept of “quality and mobile amenity.”

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Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. announced today that it will exhibit the new compact car Materia, the concept car D-Compact X-over (crossover vehicle), and other vehicles at the Paris Motor Show 2006. The Motor Show will be open to the general public from 30 September to 15 October.

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A 16-year old Daihatsu Charade bought for £150 on e-Bay has just completed one of the toughest drives in the world, the 6,635 mile-long Mongol Rally. Furthermore, the car looks set to be the only entry to complete the Rally without a single breakdown.

David Mayo, a 21 year-old student from Surrey, took 20 days to complete the fund-raising feat with his 55-year old father, English teacher, Tony. They travelled as team ‘Mongolian Taxi Service’.

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