The Daihatsu WakuWaku concept previews an upcoming rival to the Suzuki Jimny

With its slab sided panels and angular lines, this funky looking Daihatsu WakuWaku concept presented at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show doesn’t look too far-fetched for series production.  

In case you are wondering, 'waku waku' means exciting in Japanese.

As this is just a concept car, Daihatsu didn’t reveal much about the car’s (planned) specifications but did confirmed that it is a ‘kei’ car – Japan’s equivalent to Europe’s supermini category of ultra-compact cars.

The confirmation by Daihatsu is enough to tell us what the car will be like, because ‘kei’ cars are tightly regulated segment. These tax-deducted cars must measure no more than 3.4m long, 1.48m wide, and 2.0m tall, with an engine no bigger than 660cc.

Turbocharging is allowed but power output is capped to 64 PS.

The only other ‘kei’ SUV on sale is the Suzuki Jimny. To be specific, the Japanese market 'kei' size Jimny has a slightly smaller body than overseas market models, to comply with the aforementioned Japanese regulations. A larger, overseas market Jimny Sierra is also available for Japanese buyers, but that model is taxed higher.

Take away the outlandish concept car tyres, headlights and tail lights, bumpers, and quirky panel windows on the rear doors, and you get a rough idea of how the production car will look like.

The split opening tailgate and opening roof seems expensive but might just make it into production, albeit in a simplified form (minus the struts).

Will this be offered as a Perodua?

Unlikely because this is meant for the Japanese market and it will be too small to meet the expectations of consumers overseas. Remember that the Suzuki Jimny that you know is different from the Japanese market model, as it has a bigger engine and a bigger body. This dual-size arrangement is quite costly and that's reflected in the Suzuki Jimny's relatively high price.