Kei for kawaii! Daihatsu reveals new Copen sports kei car concept and four functional EVs

Small car veteran Daihatsu is bringing a series of new concepts to the upcoming Japan Mobility Show, including a redesigned version of its well-known Copen convertible.

In true sincere and unpretentious form for a Japanese company, Daihatsu says its theme for the exhibit at the Japan Mobility Show is “Staying Close to Our Customers and Enriching Their Lives” which leaves little to be misinterpreted.

Five concepts, four electric and one combustion, will join “cars from throughout its history” in attempting to fulfil this theme, including one concept - the Copen - that might even be recognisable to Australians.

While Daihatsu isn’t particularly present in Australia, the Copen convertible’s international renown means there are a few examples imported to Australia, some even officially in the early 2000s.

The new concept for the small car isn’t electric, despite its styling, but can run on carbon-neutral fuel, says Daihatsu.

It retains a “front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout” and its naturally aspirated 1.3-litre engine, which some time ago replaced the traditional kei-car sized turbocharged 660cc engine that was once necessary to meet certain tax exemptions in Japan.

Joining the Copen concept is another convertible, this one an electric car called the Osanpo, which aims to “allows drivers to enjoy the comfort of open-air driving with the ease of going for a walk”.

The two-seater is only 3395mm long and 1475mm wide, making it perfect for tiny Japanese laneway streets, but less so for Australian roads.

Some more functional concepts come in the form of the Daihatsu me: MO, a small passenger ‘van’, and two ‘Uniform’ concepts called the Uniform Truck and Cargo, a kei-sized truck and commercial van.

Of course, don’t expect to see any of these hitting the road in Australia, let alone in Japan in these forms.