Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (ダイハツ工業株式会社) is a Japanese automobile manufacturer headquartered in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.[4]
One of the oldest surviving Japanese internal combustion engine manufacturers, the company was known for building three-wheeled vehicles and off-road vehicles, while currently the company offers a range of kei car models, along with kei trucks, kei vans and other larger small cars in Japan. Because of the company's focus on kei cars, 70 percent of Daihatsu drivers in Japan are female.[5] The company produces entry-level compact cars in Japan and Southeast Asia, which are often supplied to global emerging markets under the Toyota brand.
As of 2023, Daihatsu's presence has been limited to Japan and Indonesia under the Daihatsu brand, and Malaysia under the Perodua brand, where the company has significant research and development resources, manufacturing facilities and sales operations.[6]
Since August 2016, the company has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Toyota Motor Corporation. As of 2021, Daihatsu accounts for four percent of Toyota Group's total vehicle sales.[6]
Name
The name "Daihatsu" is a combination of the first symbol (kanji) of Ōsaka (大) and the first of the word "engine manufacture" (発動機製造). In the new combination the reading of the "大" is changed from ō to dai, giving dai hatsu.[7]
History
Daihatsu was officially formed on March 1, 1951, as a successor to Hatsudoki Seizo Co. Ltd, founded in 1907, as part of Hatsudoki's major restructuring. Hatsudoki's formation was largely influenced by the Engineering Department's faculty of Osaka University, to develop a gasoline-powered engine for small, stationary power plants. From the beginning of the company until 1930, when a prototype three-wheeler truck was considered and proposed, Hatsudoki's focus was largely steam engines for Japanese National Railways and included rail carriages for passenger transportation. The company then focused on railroad diesel engines, working with Niigata Engineering and Shinko Engineering Co., Ltd. Before the company began to manufacture automobiles, their primary Japanese competitor was Yanmar for diesel engines that were not installed in a commercial truck to provide motivation.
The company's decision to focus on automobile production and related technologies was influenced by the early days of automobile manufacturing in Japan during the late 1920s and 1930s, when both Ford and General Motors had opened factories in Japan and enjoyed a considerable market share. Ford opened a factory at Yokohama in March 1925 and in 1927 GM opened Osaka Assembly until both factories were appropriated by the Imperial Japanese Government before World War II.[8]
Company timeline
The company was founded in 1907 as Hatsudoki Seizo Co., Ltd, but was officially incorporated as Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd on March 1, 1951. In 1963, the company introduced the Daihatsu Compagno, a car that utilized multiple body styles on one platform, and the long-running "D" logo was introduced. One year later, on September 1, 1964, Daihatsu built its millionth vehicle. In 1965, the Daihatsu Compagno Berlina was launched in the United Kingdom, marking the first time a Japanese car was marketed in the UK.[25]
In 1967, Daihatsu began cooperating with Toyota Motor Corporation, and by 1968, the company celebrated the production of its one millionth Daihatsu kei car.[26] The two millionth Daihatsu was built in 1969.[27] In 1971, Daihatsu launched the first generation of its Delta Truck model in Japan, a Toyota-influenced six-ton cargo truck. By 1975, Daihatsu began supplying diesel engines to the SEMAL motor vehicle company of Portugal for their Portaro and Tagus 4X4 off-road vehicles.
The 1980s saw significant milestones for Daihatsu, including the production of its three millionth kei car by 1980.[28]
Leadership
- Mizuo Takezaki (1951–1955)
- Koishi Yuji (1955–1968)
- Yoshikichi Ise (1968–1975)
- Ohara Sakae (1975–1982)
- Tomoko Eguchi (1982–1988)
- Jiro Osuga (1988–1992)
- Takashi Toyozumi (1992–1995)
- Takeichi Shingu (1995–2000)
- Takaya Yamada (2000–2005)
- Teruyuki Minoura (2005–2010)[30]
- Ina Koichi (2010–2013)[31]
- Masanori Mitsui (2013–2017)[32]
Export markets
Daihatsu's first export was in 1953, and by 1980 half a million Daihatsu vehicles had been exported.[35] In 1979 a European main office was established in Brussels, tasked with controlling and expanding Western European exports.[28] Since the late 1990s, its exports have been steadily contracting. This has been partially offset by the sale of Daihatsu vehicles through the Toyota channel, and the sale of technology to Malaysia's Perodua. Daihatsu has also supplied cars under different badges to various automakers in the past. The company currently provides engines and transmissions to Malaysia's Perodua, which manufactures and markets rebadged Daihatsu cars locally, and sold a small number of Perodua cars in the United Kingdom and Ireland until 2012.
In February 1992 it began exporting cars to North America and from 1994 to 1999 it exported the Terios and Cuore models to Brazil. With the rise of the US currency and the Asian crisis, the brand stopped exporting to Brazil.[36]
Asia and Oceania
Electrics and hybrids
Daihatsu has had a long-running development program for electric vehicles, beginning with the production of "pavilion cars" for the 1970 Osaka World Expo and continuing with the production of golf carts and vehicles for institutional use, such as the DBC-1.[49] An electric version of the company's Fellow Max kei car also followed, the beginning of a series of prototypes. The 1973 oil crisis provided further impetus and at the 20th Tokyo Motor Show (1973) Daihatsu displayed a 550 W electric trike (TR-503E),[50] the BCX-III electric car prototype and daihatsu's own EV1.[51]
Daihatsu showed more prototypes through the 1970s, for instance at the 1979 Sydney Motor Show, and then joined the Japanese Electric Vehicle Association's PREET program (Public Rent and Electronic Towncar) with an electric version of the Max Cuore kei car. The program allowed registered users access to the cars with a magnetized card and charged according to mileage used.[52]
Motorcycles
In 1973, Daihatsu presented an electric tilting trike at the Tokyo Motor Show. This entered production in 1975 as the Hallo.[56] Daihatsu also released a petrol powered version using a 50 cc two-stroke engine.
Logo
Daihatsu is well known with its signature stylized D logo. It debuted in September 1963 on the Compagno as the first automobile with the Daihatsu D logo. From its establishment in 1951 until 1969, Daihatsu also used a Ford-like logo, with Daihatsu vintage-style cursive wordmark (outside Japan) and Daihatsu wordmark in katakana, written inside an ellipse. Daihatsu had a secondary logo, based on a stylized drawing of Osaka Castle, as installed on its three-wheeler trucks during the 1950s to 1960s. The script logo remained in use as Daihatsu's corporate logo and appeared on Daihatsu product catalogues and brochures until November 1969. Hence in the 1950s and 1960s Daihatsu was commonly referred to as Japan's Ford, and as the Japanese equivalent to Ford. In December 1969, this logo was discontinued and Daihatsu officially used the D logo as its corporate logo. Except in Indonesia, the first Daihatsu logo was used in brochures until about 1977 or 1978.
The famous D logo is a stylized, modernized version of the D in the earlier logo and resembles the da in katakana, as well as rocket shape and right arrow, representing Daihatsu's spirit to keep moving forward and growing for excellence. The stylized D is also an initialism for Daihatsu. Beginning in January 1970, the Daihatsu wordmark was written in Eurostile font and placed below the D logo.
The D logo as the corporate logo, the white D placed inside the red rectangle, has been used from late 1969 onwards. The first version of the D logo, surrounded with circle, was used on Daihatsu automobiles from 1963 until 1979. From 1979 to 1989, the D logo was surrounded by a dark grey rectangle. In November 1989, following the launch of Toyota's famous current logo, the D logo was surrounded by an oval, and made in chrome. The chrome D logo is used today, with several revisions, the most recent is a bolder and bigger chrome D logo introduced in 2004.
Mascot
The mascot for Daihatsu Motors is Kakukaku Shikajika (カクカクシカジカ), an anthropomorphic deer character. Created by illustrator Chiharu Sakazaki (who also designed the mascot for the Suica smart card system),[57] he wears a white shirt as well as black pants, and is drawn in a lineless artstyle.[58] According to a Daihatsu representative, he has a "cool and slightly cynical" personality.[59]
He has appeared in plenty of animated commercials for the company, as well as various merchandise and promo items primarily in Japan.[58] Originally used to advertise the Daihatsu Move Conte (including his own special edition of the vehicle[60]), he's been used on and off in marketing materials since 2008.
Vehicles
Plants and production
Japan
Daihatsu's first, and oldest factory, called Ikeda Plant 1 was built in May 1939 in Ikeda, Osaka.[63] The second factory was built May 1961 and is called Ikeda Plant 2. It houses the Osaka HQ office that was established March 1965. The company maintains an office in Tokyo, that was originally opened as Hatsudoki Seizo Co. Ltd. in June 1933 the Daihatsu Building.
Daihatsu currently [when?] has two factories in Ryūō, Shiga. The first factory was opened in April 1974, and the second one in January 1989. Daihatsu opened a factory in April 1973 in Ōyamazaki, Kyoto. Daihatsu opened two factories in Nakatsu, Ōita starting in November 2004 with Nakatsu Plant 1, followed by Nakatsu Plant 2 in November 2007. The Kurume Plant was opened in August 2008 in Kurume. It houses the Daihatsu Group Kyushu Development Center which opened in 2014.
As of, the following vehicles are built by Daihatsu in Japan:
Overseas
See also
Explanatory notes
External links
References
- Data Book 2023 Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.^
- The FY (Fiscal Year) 2022 as reported by Daihatsu is from April 1, 2022 to March 30, 2023.^
- ダイハツ工業株式会社 第182期決算公告 Daihatsu, retrieved September 11, 2023^