Daihatsu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.

Daihatsu headquarters in Ikeda, Osaka
Native name	ダイハツ工業株式会社
Romanized name	Daihatsu Kōgyō Kabushiki-gaisha
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Automotive
Predecessor	Hatsudoki Seizo Co., Ltd (1907–1951)
Founded	1 March 1951; 74 years ago (1951-03-01)
Founders	Saneyasu Oka Zenjiro Takeuchi Yoshiaki Yasunaga Seishiro Tsurumi Masashi Kuwabara
Headquarters	Ikeda, Osaka , Japan
Area served	Japan Indonesia
Key people	Masahiro Inoue (President)
Products	Automobiles, engines
Production output	1,787,991 vehicles (1,477,462 without counting Perodua production) (FY2022)
Revenue	¥1,493 billion (FY2022)
Operating income	¥38 billion (FY2022)
Net income	¥77 billion (FY2022)
Total assets	¥944 billion (FY2022)
Total equity	¥387 billion (FY2022)
Number of employees	12,508 (April 2023)
Parent	Toyota Motor Corporation
Subsidiaries	Astra Daihatsu Motor (61.7%) Perodua (25%)

Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. is a Japanese car maker. It's one of the oldest companies in Japan that still makes internal combustion engines. Daihatsu is known for making small cars, especially "kei cars" in Japan. These are very small cars that fit special rules in Japan.

The company also makes small cars for other countries, especially in Southeast Asia. Many of these cars are also sold under the Toyota brand. Since 2016, Daihatsu has been a part of the Toyota Motor Corporation. This means Toyota owns Daihatsu completely.

What's in a Name?

The name "Daihatsu" comes from a mix of Japanese words. It combines the first symbol of Ōsaka (大), which is a big city in Japan, and the first part of the Japanese words for "engine manufacture" (発動機製造). When put together, the "Ō" sound from Osaka changes to "Dai," giving us "Daihatsu."

A Look Back: History of Daihatsu

Hatsudoki SA-6, 1937

Daihatsu officially started on March 1, 1951. But its story began much earlier, in 1907, as a company called Hatsudoki Seizo Co. Ltd. This first company was created with help from Osaka University. Their main goal was to make gasoline engines for small power plants.

At first, Hatsudoki focused on steam engines for trains and even passenger train cars. They also worked on diesel engines. It wasn't until around 1930 that they thought about making vehicles, starting with a three-wheeled truck.

Daihatsu Midget, 1957

The company decided to focus on making cars because other big car makers like Ford and General Motors had opened factories in Japan in the 1920s and 1930s. These foreign companies had a lot of success before World War II.

In the 1960s, Daihatsu started selling its cars in Europe. They didn't sell many cars there until the 1980s. In Japan, most Daihatsu cars are "kei cars," which are very popular because they are small and fuel-efficient.

Daihatsu Compagno, 1960s

Daihatsu was an independent car maker until Toyota Motor Corporation became a major owner in 1967. The Japanese government wanted to open up the car market more. Toyota slowly bought more and more shares of Daihatsu over the years. By 1998, Toyota owned more than half of Daihatsu. This meant Toyota could make big decisions for the company.

After a big financial crisis around 2008, Daihatsu's sales in Europe dropped a lot. Because the Japanese currency (the yen) became very strong, it was hard for Daihatsu to make money selling cars in Europe. So, Daihatsu stopped selling cars in Europe by 2013.

In 2011, Daihatsu invested money to build a factory in Indonesia. This factory was for making affordable cars. In August 2016, Toyota bought all remaining parts of Daihatsu, making it a fully owned part of the Toyota group.

In 2017, Daihatsu and Toyota created a special team to design small cars for growing markets around the world. Daihatsu is in charge of planning these cars, and both companies work together on making them.

Recent Safety Concerns

In 2023, Daihatsu faced some serious issues with how it conducted safety tests for its cars. In April 2023, it was found that some cars, including those sold as Toyota models, had problems with their side-collision tests. The company admitted that parts of the test cars were changed in a way that wasn't used in the cars sold to people.

Later in December 2023, more problems were found. The company stopped shipping 64 different car models, including some sold by Mazda, Subaru, and Toyota. Investigations showed that in some cases, the airbag parts used in tests were different from those in cars sold to the public. Also, results for speed tests and headrest tests had been changed. These problems went back many years. Because of this, Daihatsu temporarily closed all four of its factories in Japan.

Company Milestones

Daihatsu Atrai, 1989

Daihatsu Terios, 2011, Indonesian market

• 1907 – Hatsudoki Seizo Co., Ltd. is founded.
• 1951 – Hatsudoki Seizo officially becomes Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.
• 1963 – The Daihatsu Compagno car is introduced, and the famous "D" logo is first used.
• 1964 – Daihatsu builds its one millionth car.
• 1967 – Daihatsu starts working with Toyota Motor Corporation.
• 1987 – Daihatsu starts selling cars in the United States.
• 1992 – Daihatsu stops selling cars in the United States.
• 1998 – Toyota gains control of Daihatsu by owning more than half of the company.
• 2011 – Daihatsu announces it will stop selling cars in Europe by 2013.
• 2016 – Toyota buys all of Daihatsu, making it a fully owned part of Toyota.

Selling Cars Around the World

Daihatsu started exporting its cars in 1953. By 1980, they had sent half a million cars to other countries. They even opened an office in Europe in 1979 to help with sales there.

Today, Daihatsu sells cars mainly in Japan and Indonesia under its own name. In Malaysia, it works with a company called Perodua, which makes and sells Daihatsu-designed cars under the Perodua brand.

Asia and Oceania Sales

1999 Daihatsu Mira in New Zealand

Gathering of Daihatsu Charade GTti hot hatches in Malaysia

After a financial crisis in Asia in 1997, Daihatsu closed its factories in Thailand and left that market. In Malaysia, Daihatsu now mostly focuses on commercial vehicles like trucks, while Perodua sells the passenger cars. In Indonesia, Daihatsu is still a very important car maker.

Daihatsu also stopped selling cars in Australia in 2006 and in New Zealand by the end of 2013. This was because sales were low and it was getting harder to meet new car rules in those countries.

The Americas Sales

1992 Daihatsu Rocky in Chile

In Chile, Daihatsu cars like the Charade and Cuore were popular in the 1970s. However, sales dropped later on. Toyota decided to keep selling cars in Chile, but the Daihatsu Terios model was later rebranded as the Toyota Rush.

Daihatsu also sold cars in the United States from 1988 to 1992. However, their small, fuel-efficient cars didn't sell well because American customers at the time preferred larger vehicles. Only the Charade and the Rocky were sold there. After Daihatsu left the US market, Toyota helped provide service for existing Daihatsu car owners.

Europe Sales

2007 Daihatsu Copen in the UK

Daihatsu started importing cars to Europe in 1979. They sold cars mainly in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands. In Italy, Daihatsu worked with a local company called Innocenti, which used Daihatsu engines in their cars.

From 1992, another company, Piaggio, started making the Hijet microvan and truck locally in Italy. This vehicle is still available today.

As mentioned before, Daihatsu announced in 2011 that it would stop selling cars in Europe by January 31, 2013. This was mainly because the strong Japanese yen made their cars too expensive to sell competitively.

Africa Sales

From 1983 to 1985, a branch of Alfa Romeo in South Africa assembled the Charade for local sales and for export to Italy. In April 2015, Daihatsu also stopped selling cars in South Africa.

Electric and Hybrid Cars

Daihatsu has been working on electric cars for a long time. They started making electric vehicles for the 1970 Osaka World Expo. They also made electric golf carts and vehicles for special uses.

Through the 1970s, Daihatsu showed many electric car ideas. They even joined a program where people could rent electric cars using a special card.

In 2007, Daihatsu released a "mild hybrid" technology. A mild hybrid uses a small electric motor to help the gasoline engine, but it can't drive on electric power alone for long distances.

In 2021, Daihatsu released its first widely produced "full hybrid" system. This system is called "e-Smart Hybrid." Unlike Toyota's hybrid system, Daihatsu's e-Smart Hybrid mainly uses the gasoline engine to create electricity, which then powers an electric motor that drives the wheels. This technology was first used in the hybrid version of the Rocky car.

Motorcycles

In 1973, Daihatsu showed an electric three-wheeled vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show. This vehicle, called the Hallo, went into production in 1975. Daihatsu also made a version of the Hallo that ran on gasoline.

The Daihatsu Logo

Daihatsu is famous for its special stylized D logo. This logo first appeared in September 1963 on the Daihatsu Compagno car.

Before 1963, Daihatsu used a different logo, which looked a bit like the old Ford logo, with the name "Daihatsu" written in a fancy style. They also had a secondary logo that looked like a drawing of Osaka Castle, which was used on their three-wheeled trucks in the 1950s and 1960s.

The "D" logo is a modern version of the letter "D" from their earlier logo. It also looks like the Japanese characters for "da" and a rocket or an arrow pointing forward. This shows Daihatsu's idea of always moving forward and aiming for excellence.

The "D" logo has changed a few times over the years. From 1963 to 1979, it was surrounded by a circle. From 1979 to 1989, it was in a dark grey rectangle. In 1989, it was placed inside an oval and made to look shiny, like chrome. This chrome "D" logo, with some small updates, is still used today.

Cars Made by Daihatsu

Factories and Production

In Japan

Daihatsu has several factories in Japan. Its oldest factory, called Ikeda Plant 1, was built in May 1939 in Ikeda, Osaka. The company also has offices in Osaka and Tokyo.

Daihatsu has two factories in Ryūō, Shiga, opened in 1974 and 1989. They also have a factory in Ōyamazaki, Kyoto (opened 1973) and two factories in Nakatsu, Ōita (opened 2004 and 2007). The Kurume Plant in Kurume opened in 2008.

Many Daihatsu cars are also sold under other brands like Mazda, Subaru, and Toyota. This is called "badge engineering."

As of May 2021^[update], here are some vehicles built by Daihatsu in Japan:

Outside Japan

Daihatsu also has factories in other countries. In Indonesia, it operates two plants through its company Astra Daihatsu Motor. These are located in Karawang and Sunter, Jakarta.

In Malaysia, the car maker Perodua (in which Daihatsu has a share) operates two factories in Rawang, Selangor. These factories make cars that are designed by Daihatsu but sold under the Perodua brand.

Images for kids

• Daihatsu Mira Tocot.jpg

  Daihatsu Mira Tocot

• Daihatsu Move Canbus.jpg

  Daihatsu Move Canbus

• Daihatsu Taft (LA900).jpg

  Daihatsu Taft (LA900)

• Daihatsu Thor.jpg

  Daihatsu Thor

• Daihatsu Wake.jpg

  Daihatsu Wake

• Toyota Yaris Cross (AC200).jpg

  Toyota Yaris Cross (AC200)

• Toyota Vios (AC100).jpg

  Toyota Vios (AC100)

See also

In Spanish: Daihatsu para niños