Daihatsu to Quit Europe

road_high

Was quite saddened to hear this news as we had a Charade back in the 90s in the family. While very basic and unsafe by todays standards it was supremely reliable and econimical. I guess they don't offer what Euro buyers want i.e. low emission diesel models in particular. I liked them as a marque as their cars were so under rated. They only sold 26 cars last year which would be unsustainable.

Link to story;
http://www.techmagdaily.com/daihatsu-announces-retirement-plans-from-the-european-market.html

ottostreet

I'd like more manufacturers to do the same. Might make the EU reconsider their stance on emissions

Max_Damage

The only Daihatsu I ever liked was the Charmant. The rest were forgettable.

crosstownk

Daihats-who?

johnos1984

They stopped importing cars a long time ago and were running down their stocks until they were sold out.

Sad loss but they have been forgettable for a long time

fleet

Forgettable???

IMHO the 2010 Copen is probably the most beautiful car ever produced!

johnos1984

fleet wrote: »

Forgettable???

IMHO the 2010 Copen is probably the most beautiful car ever produced!

http://www.niot.net/niot_570/daihatsu%20copen%20niot.net.jpg

I'd advise you to look at more cars.

Its just not for me but I've enjoyed a drive in one but it never really springs to mind

mike65

Who could forget the Charade 3 cylinder engine? Billions of miles to the gallon and quite a few particulates as well (never saw one that wasn't smoking)

johnos1984

mike65 wrote: »

Who could forget the Charade 3 cylinder engine? Billions of miles to the gallon and quite a few particulates as well (never saw one that wasn't smoking)

They are the last ones I remember as being desirable, also lets not forget the CHARADE especially in TURBO form.

The Copen was a last hurrah but it never jumps out at me. Very little else arrived on these shores for the past 12 years or so that would make me think otherwise.

I do have fond memories of the Fourtrak though but again its an old car now

Atlantic Dawn

Toyota owns 51% of them so they would have had no problem accessing Toyota engines and do use some for a couple of the models so emissions shouldn't have been a problem.

colm_mcm

The terios is a nice lil thing, outclassed now though.

I wonder if perodua will continue selling in the uk? Theyre the same thing.

alias no.9

Would I be right in saying that Daihatsu were the first Japanese brand sold on these shores? I seem to remember hearing that some time back.

johnos1984

alias no.9 wrote: »

Would I be right in saying that Daihatsu were the first Japanese brand sold on these shores? I seem to remember hearing that some time back.

I think your right.

AFAIK it was the first car to offer reclining seats and a stereo as standard on the Irish market.

I don't believe they sold many and rust naturally killed them

I think it was 1967/8 when they were sold but not 100% on that

robtri

whether i liked them or not... some people did as they did sell a few of them...
its a shame to see any manufacturer pull out of europe.

Stinicker

No if Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi would gladly pull out too and let the European roads for the clearly superior European (read German) cars.

bazz26

Stinicker wrote: »

No if Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi would gladly pull out too and let the European roads for the clearly superior European (read German) cars.

jock101

Damn, just when the Irish needed light, small engined, cheap cars!:eek:

galwaytt

Stinicker wrote: »

No if Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi would gladly pull out too and let the European roads for the clearly superior European (read German) cars.

oh ffs - have you owned one (German) lately - say, the last 5 years ? They have gone down the toilet, quality wise.

09 A6 2.0tdi w/Multitronic, 44k kms, and need a new 'box calls BS on your statement, btw. And don't me started on the B6 Passat.........

G Luxel

johnos1984 wrote: »

I think your right.

AFAIK it was the first car to offer reclining seats and a stereo as standard on the Irish market.

I don't believe they sold many and rust naturally killed them

I think it was 1967/8 when they were sold but not 100% on that

#




Daihatsu was the first car to be sold in the UK in 1965, the very first car that they exported is owned by the UK distributor. Its called a Compagno. The first japanese cars sold in Ireland were Toyota in 1973.

Daihatsu are badge-engineered Toyotas. There are available here as 2nd-hand Japanese imports...

Toyota Duet - Daihatsu Sirion/Storia.
Toyota Passo - Daihatsu Sirion

http://www.daihatsu.co.jp/

Pdfile

mfitzy wrote: »

Was quite saddened to hear this news as we had a Charade back in the 90s in the family. While very basic and unsafe by todays standards it was supremely reliable and econimical. I guess they don't offer what Euro buyers want i.e. low emission diesel models in particular. I liked them as a marque as their cars were so under rated. They only sold 26 cars last year which would be unsustainable.

Link to story;
http://www.techmagdaily.com/daihatsu-announces-retirement-plans-from-the-european-market.html

they F***** up by not keeping with the beauty of the charade, and giving us these boxy piles of pish.

i love the 90's models but the new models... why bother even making them ??

johnos1984

G Luxel wrote: »

Daihatsu was the first car to be sold in the UK in 1965, the very first car that they exported is owned by the UK distributor. Its called a Compagno. The first japanese cars sold in Ireland were Toyota in 1973.

Do you have a link to that info, I always believed it was Daihatsu but would be interested to know for sure

A few cars were imported, importer went bust and then Toyota followed later was how I recall it

VolvoMan

johnos1984 wrote: »

Do you have a link to that info, I always believed it was Daihatsu but would be interested to know for sure

It was in the paper the other day. Daihatsu were first imported into Ireland in 1985.

It is correct however that they were the first Japanese manufacturer to ever sell cars in the UK in the 60's.

johnos1984

VolvoMan wrote: »

It was in the paper the other day. Daihatsu were first imported into Ireland in 1985.

I'm horribly confused now.... more research I must have the wrong manufacturer so

alias no.9

VolvoMan wrote: »

It was in the paper the other day. Daihatsu were first imported into Ireland in 1985.

It is correct however that they were the first Japanese manufacturer to ever sell cars in the UK in the 60's.

I remember plenty of earlier Charades, maybe they were UK imports but I don't think they were Jap imports as most Jap cars of that era had wing mirrors (on the wing, not door) and I don't remember any of the Charades having them.

bazz26

I remember as kid in the late 1980s seeing plenty of Charades about the place, always though this model was pretty modern for the time:



The GTti was pretty decent too and gave the Fiesta XR2i a run for it's money.

road_high

I think Toyota may have something to do with this? Seen as they control the company, perhaps they don't want duplication in Europe vs their own Aygo, IQ and Yaris? Daihatsu are big enough in many eastern emerging markets, i think anyhow.

I would have assumed the Sirion would be in the lowest emission bracket? Seen a few around and they look a decent little car to me.
Daihatsu sold 785,321 units in 2008 (http://www.autozine.org/Manufacturer/Japan/Daihatsu.html), so they are by no means a bit player, they just don't seem to have resonated with European buyers anymore or made much effort to do that either.

I liked the little Terios they launched a few years back and is a good car according to reviews it got. But Daihatsu didn't bother fitting a diesel, just a 1.5 petrol, which is madness quite frankly. Would it have been so difficult to drop in one of Toyotas little 1.4 D4Ds? I t would have been very saleable indeed, particularly in Ireland. Even Suzuki fit diesel to their Swift and other models. You've to move with the market and clearly Daihatsu were not giving people what they want, either here or in Europe.

road_high

And they always seemed to top or come near to top on any of the reliability surveys and that would have been my experience owning one. I think they were/are engineered superbly and far in excess of the price.

Pdfile

bazz26 wrote: »

I remember as kid in the late 1980s seeing plenty of Charades about the place, always though this model was pretty modern for the time:



The GTti was pretty decent too and gave the Fiesta XR2i a run for it's money.

too right. I remember a guy over here had a detomasso version of the model above, and afaik their was a rally special one too, but im not a rally historian ( im sure all the ratro ralliers would know the car im thinking of )

fastrac

Does anybody know what will happen regarding spare parts after the wind up of the European operation? Any hope we could order through the Toyota Dealers?