Why You Should Know About the Car Brand Daihatsu
Daihatsu is a Japanese automaker that made cars that are now classics, they are now owned by Toyota.
Written by Serena Aburahma
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Car history
is a long and winding tale, and it often involves important companies that few people have heard of. That's the case with Daihatsu, a Japanese automaker with over 100 years of history, but barely any history in the American auto industry. Here's a look at what folks should know about Daihatsu, its history, and how it was eventually bought up by Toyota.
How did Daihatsu get its start?
As
Daihatsu
wrote, the company was actually founded at a good time in Japanese history. Japan was industrializing at a rapid pace, and Japanese academics believed that Japan needed to make engines if it was to become a modern country.This led to a group of academics working with other industrialists to form Hatsudoki Seizo Co., Ltd, the company which would later become Daihatsu. In these early years, Daihatsu was building engines mostly for trains and ships.
But, as time went on, Daihatsu eventually got to work on vehicles. In the ‘30s, Daihatsu produced its first vehicle, the Model HA, and it was actually a three-wheeled motorcycle.
Daihatsu made improvements on it over the years, and then, in 1951, the company officially renamed itself to Daihatsu.
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Daihatsu's impact on the world
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Daihatsu continued making a lot of two and three-wheeled vehicles until the ‘60s when Daihatsu started making four-wheeled cars that were targeted at regular people.
One of the notable examples of this was the Consorte, which was actually based on a Toyota car called the Publica. This wouldn't be the last time that the Japanese automakers
worked together
.Naturally, Daihatsu then started expanding its operations elsewhere in the world.
Two of the main countries that Daihatsu expanded into were Indonesia and Malaysia, but not all expansions were successful. For example, Daihatsu made a brief appearance in the U.S. auto market in the late 80s and early 90s.
But, due to financial issues at home, Daihatsu had to make some big changes, and that meant pulling out of the American auto market. On top of that, in the 90s, Toyota, which had owned a large share of Daihatsu since the 60s, became the majority shareholder of the company.
Before Toyota bought the whole company, though, Daihatsu released one of its most popular cars, the Move. It was a small car, but it was eco-friendly, and it was also very safe.
That's because, in 2012, Daihatsu became the first automaker to put a
crash-avoidance assistance
system into a small car.Toyota buys up Daihatsu, and Daihatsu's future
MORE: Toyota Stout: The Company's Rarest Truck Was Only Available for 5 Years in the U.S.
And then, in 2016, Toyota bought the entirety of Daihatsu.
A year later, Daihatsu celebrated its 110th birthday, and that wasn't the only good news. At the same time in Indonesia, Daihatsu crossed a major milestone as the company had produced a total of over 5 million units in Indonesia.
Although Daihatsu had a rocky decade in the 90s, Daihatsu is looking outward once again. Currently, Daihatsu, with the help of Toyota, is looking to expand operations in emerging countries.
Daihatsu will also continue to focus on producing small, eco-friendly cars, which are popular these days. Naturally, some of those vehicles will be powered by a hybrid or EV powertrain.
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