No more 1KR-VET soon? By 2030, all Japanese Daihatsu models to be BEV or hybrid
Eric · Dec 22, 2021 03:13 PM
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HEV kei car launching first
First BEV kei car launching by 2025
BEV kei car to be affordably priced
Following the introduction of the Daihatsu Rocky e:Smart, Daihatsu's first self-developed hybrid model, the Osaka-based company has announced that they will be electrifying all their models sold in Japan by 2030.
Daihatsu said that its new models will either be battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or hybrid vehicles (HEVs).
The Daihatsu Move is just one of many kei cars that Daihatsu offers
According to Japan Times, Daihatsu plans to launch its first BEV kei model by 2025. That aside, Daihatsu also plans to set the price of the BEV kei model between JPY 1 million (~RM 37k) and JPY 2 million (~RM 74k).
Could the Daihatsu Wake receive an electrified powertrain too?
This announcement by Daihatsu will likely supercharge the race for manufacturers to develop EV versions of their kei cars – a segment of vehicles that accounts for 40 percent of all new vehicles sold in Japan.“We cannot avoid electrification and we have to work on it,” Daihatsu President Soichiro Okudaira said.
The SUV-esque Daihatsu Taft could get electrified as well
That said, even before Daihatsu rolls out a BEV kei car, they plan to introduce a hybrid kei car first. “We’ll utilize the advantages of hybrid vehicles in developing electric vehicles and launch them,” he added.
Mitsubishi eK-based kei car to debut next month
Daihatsu isn’t the only company that has plans for an electrified kei car. Fellow Japanese rival Mitsubishi has announced plans to reveal an EV kei car, which will go on sale next year.
Closer to home, Daihatsu's subsidiary Perodua has mentioned that they are currently studying the acceptance of hybrid powertrains among Malaysians, as well as price positioning of the purported Perodua Ativa Hybrid.
Started from the IT industry but somehow managed to find his way into the automotive industry. If he’s not gaming, he’s constantly tinkering with his daily/weekend car.
