Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manufacturer of cars, well known for its smaller models. Many of its models are also known as kei jidosha (or kei cars) in Japan.
The name "Daihatsu" is a combination of the first kanji (Japanese character) for Osaka and the first of the word "engine manufacture" ; when put together they are pronounced "dai hatsu".•1907 – Hatsudoki Seizo Co., Ltd. founded
•1951 – Company renamed: Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.
•1967 – Started cooperation with Toyota Motor Corporation
•1981 - Cuore marketed.
•1984 - Rocky marketed. CKD production of Daihatsu 850 Cab/Cab Van models commenced in China on October 18th. KD production of Hijet in Tianjin, China started in November.
•1985 - Accumulated automobile production exceeded 10,000,000.
•1986 - CKD production of the Charade commenced in China on November 1st.
•1988 – Daihatsu USA launched with the Charade and Rocky
•1989 - Feroza marketed. Applause marketed.
•1990 - Daihatsu entered into a technical cooperation agreement with Asia Motors Co., Inc. of Korea.
•1992 – Daihatsu USA shuts down in February
•1993 Charade GTti captured a 1st place win in class A-7 and 5th place overall in the 41st Safari Rally.
•1994 Joint venture production of Malaysia's Second National Car, Kancil, (based Cuore) began in August.
•1995 New Zebra Espass marketed in Indonesia in April. New mini passenger car Move marketed in Japan in August.
•1996 - Production of Malaysia's National 1-Box Car, Rusa, began in April. New light commercial vehicle Midget II marketed in Japan in April. A technical assistance agreement was signed between Daihatsu and Liuzhou Wuling Motor Co., Ltd., in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous District, China. Compact Wagon Pyzar (Gran Move) marketed in Japan in August.
•1997 - Daihatsu celebrated its 90th anniversary. Compact 4WD Terios marketed. Accumulated light vehicle production exceeded 10,000,000. Accumulated production of the Kancil in Malaysia exceeded 100,000.
•1998 - New passenger car Sirion marketed. Mira, Move and Terios Kid models compliant with Japan's new mini-vehicle standards were put on the market. An Opti model compliant with Japan's new mini-vehicle standards was put on the market. Cumulative vehicle production hit the 20 million mark.
•1999 – Toyota gains a controlling interest in (51% market share) Daihatsu Motor Ltd.
It was reported on 31 March 2005, that Toyota would exit Daihatsu from the Australian market, after sales fell heavily in 2005, in spite of the overall new-car market in Australia growing 7%. Daihatsu wound up its Australian operations in March 2006 after almost 40 years in the market.Daihatsu's operations in Chile – where Daihatsu is a well-known brand for its 1970s models such as the Charade or Cuore – were also threatened after very low sales in 2004 and 2005. But Toyota has stated that it intends to persist in the Chile market for now.
Daihatsu has supplied cars under different badges to various different automakers in the past, and also supplies engines and transmissions to one of Malaysia's largest car makers, Perodua, which sells cars in the United Kingdom and Malaysia.
The hybrid vehicle technology is called Daihatsu Mild Hybrid System, mainly used in Atrai/ Hijet Hybrid-IV.
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