Used Daihatsu Engine Models

Used Daihatsu Engine

Japanese brand, the Daihatsu entered the US, back in 1987. From utility trucks to rocky mini SUVs, they offered vehicles in all mid-size. Albeit, partly owned by Toyota, they couldn’t compete against bigger players. They discontinued in the U.S. five years later. This is the long story short of the Daihatsu brand in the United States. Even today people wonder what has happened to the Daihatsu, especially their rockies and charades. Also, only a couple of cars are sold in the U.S., under the Daihatsu brand. The constant buzz reminds us of how much impact this little brand has created in our land. There are only a handful of such brands, that have created such an impact. At Turbo Autoparts, we offer you the hassle-free experience of purchasing used Daihatsu engine and parts.

Though you don’t see them often on the U.S. roads these days, Diahatsu frequented the same roads in the 80s. Now, they are an entirely owned subsidiary of Toyota themselves. Initially, it started as the Hatsudoki Seizo Company in 1907. It comprised a group of Japanese professionals manufacturing stationary engines. Later, they learned to develop steam and motor engines in the locomotive segment. In the 1930s, they developed motorcycles with mini pickups. Post World War II, they produced a three-wheeled truck called Midget, catering to the demand for smaller trucks. By 1960, they sold over 100,000 units including exports to SEA countries. By 1963, they expanded to four-wheelers, including the Compagno, sold as sedan, wagon, convertible, and pickup.

Daihatsu moves overseas

To move their units beyond Southeast Asia, they partnered with Toyota. With Toyota, they sold a large number of their fellows, Mira, Cuore, and Hijet. Their mini trucks were popular as Kai cars, which were chosen to be exported to America. 1987 Daihatsu Hijet in its seventh generation, with its half-liter engines was the first to be exported to the West. In the following year, they introduced two new cars in the US, The third generation Charade made rounds in the U.S. car markets. Also, they offered the option of a 1 L 3-cylinder engine to make sales in the U.S. Its best sales year was 1989, when Diahatsu offered Charade with a 1.3L engine with the option of automatic transmission. When Toyota sold 200,000 Corolas in the same year, Daihatsu Charade managed over 15,000 sales. Subsequently, they offered a four-door sedan version of the charade in 1990, making combined sales of a very modest 10,000+ annually.

Besides, Charade, Diahatsu also introduced Rocky, their mini-SUV to the U.S. They chose to use the name Rocky for the smaller F300 series for the American model. Besides, bettering as a car, it served as an off-roader as well. From the outstart, Rocky competed with the Suzuki Samurai and Suzuki Sidekick. The Daihatsu Charade didn’t face such competition, especially coming from close quarters. From the 1980 Geo Tracker to Samurai to Sidekick to Rocky, every model was trying to unseat the 1989 Jeep Wrangler. Importantly, Rocky designed itself as a two-door convertible. Also, Rocky being wider than Samurai and other competitors, gained the competitive edge. Moreover with consumer complaining that Samurai could roll over while off-roading, Daihatsu Rocky gained more market traction.

Disappearance of Daihatsu

Unlike Charade’s 3-cylinder engine, Rocky sported a 1.6 L 4-cylinder engine. As an offroader, Rocky offered rear and four-wheel drive. The manual transmissions proved adequate for offroading enthusiasts. The hardcore US off-roaders preferred non-automatic during that time. Nevertheless, their modest sales numbers didn’t justify the development costs. Rocky peaker at just 43,000 sales in the U.S., and even that spike came off the rollover warning issued on Suzuki Samurai. Suzuki Samurai dropped from 83,000 sales to just 5,000 sales annually after the ‘unsafe’ report. However, sales kept dropping for Rocky to just 27,000 in 1991 and Diahatsu’s Charade dropped to 6200 sales in 1991. Technically, Diahatsu had proposed models for 1992, which didn’t happen unfortunately. Bad timing and stiff competition from bigger players marginalized Diahatsu consistently and finally decimated them in the U.S. Auto market. However, Toyota offered support to Daihatsu till 2002, at least in the U.S. By 1995, Toyota took over Daihatsu Motors with a controlling interest of over 51% stocks. They exported Daihatsu models to the U.K. and Europe in 1995-1999. Toyota purchased all remaining stocks to turn Daihatsu, a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota. Daihatsu still makes Kai cars in Japan, which can still be imported in the U.S.

Charade and Rocky

Here are some of the models of Charade and Rocky. Not all these variants are available in the U.S.

1989 Charade used a 1.3-liter engine fitted with 5-speed manual transmissions. It did a 0 to 60 in just 11. 7 seconds and reached a top speed of 104 mph.

1989 Rocky F300 used a 1.6 L engine, pumping a horsepower of 84 hp. It employed a 5-speed manual transmission, did a 0 to 60 in 13.8 seconds, and reached top speeds of 90 mph.

The 1993 Charade G200 came with a 1.6L engine, fitted on a 5-speed manual transmission. With top speeds at 105 mph and pumping a horsepower of 123 hp, this car did a 0 to 60 in just 8.5 seconds.

1992 Rocky Facelift again used a 5-speed manual transmission. Its 1.6L engine pumped horsepower of up to 94 hp. It did a 0 to 60 in 11.7 seconds and reached top speeds of up to 91 mph.

1993 Rocky F78 employed a bulkier 2.8 L engine pumping out over 101 hp. With a 5-speed manual transmission perfect for offroading, it generated top speeds of up to 84 mph. The car can race from 0 to 50 mph within 19 seconds.

1994 Charade Sedan used a 1.5 L engine with 75 hp of horsepower. It reaches top speeds of up to 99 mph and does a 0 to 60 in under 13 seconds. It retained the 5-speed manual transmission.

Purchase Used Daihatsu Engine at Turbo Autoparts

PYou can purchase quality inspected used Daihatsu Engine at Turbo Autoparts. Let’s put your Daihatsu back on the road.