1997 Daihatsu Hijet on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Takata airbag recalls add another 5 million vehicles

The Takata airbag inflator recall expanded by about 6.5 million vehicles recently when Toyota and Nissan announced global expansions to replace the faulty parts. You can add another 5 million more as Honda and Daihatsu also broaden their replacement campaigns. Although in this latest case, none of the affected models are in the United States or Canada. Honda is recalling 4.89 million more vehicles globally, and Daihatsu has about 260,000 to repair in Japan, according to Automotive News. With these latest expansions, all of the affected automakers have needed to fix about 36 million vehicles globally for these faulty airbags since 2008. Some of the first instances of these problems were found in an Isuzu campaign in 2001. This latest round of recalls was sparked by a study from Takata that found the inflators' propellant could be affected by moisture over time. While the automakers received this information in March, it took time to determine the number of vehicles in need of repair and where they were located, according to Automotive News. To make sure all of the affected vehicles in the US are repaired in a timely fashion, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is reportedly considering a strategy to force things to speed up. Honda and Toyota are already using outside suppliers for the parts they need. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Shizuo Kambayashi / AP Photo Recalls Honda Daihatsu Safety Takata airbag recall

Daihatsu Compagno concept makes us wish the company was still in America

Here at Autoblog, we frequently talk about cars we love that we just can't get here, and Daihatsu just revealed a car that will surely reignite those conversations. It's a new concept called the Compagno, and it's a revival of a vintage Daihatsu of the same name. It's also a little sedan that, because of its sleek shape, is called a coupe. Debate over naming conventions aside, the Compagno is a lovely little sedan to look at. It's very well proportioned, and it has a refreshingly clean and taut shape with long, simple curves and little adornment. It gets a little bit of flair and aggression from the shoulder created by a creased line that runs from the top of the headlights to the top of the taillights. The fast, sloping roofline and hidden rear door handle help sell the coupe look. It's also nice to see a retro-inspired design that isn't shamelessly so. You can see the retro elements in the shape of the grille and the way the fascia leans forward, but most of the rest of the car looks quite modern. We like this sedan a lot, and we really wish something similar would come here. It's not the only Daihatsu we'd like to see either. The company has a really cool little kei-class roadster called the Copen. It's available with different appearance options that will appeal to fans of modern and vintage cars alike, and it features a line of customizable body parts. Daihatsu also designed a thoroughly adorable kei-class van called the Move Canbus. It looks like a tiny VW Microbus. Bring over all three, and you'd have a really appealing lineup. But if we leave our wildest dreams and examine our cold hard reality, a lineup like this probably wouldn't survive here. All of those cars are extremely small. The Copen is about half a size smaller than a Miata, for reference. Even this Compagno concept is probably too small. The company says it has either a 1.0-liter turbocharged engine, or a 1.2-liter hybrid engine. That means there's no way it's any bigger than say, a Ford Fiesta sedan. And if that's one of the largest cars Daihatsu might sell, the company wouldn't have a prayer in a world where the F-150 is king. Oh well, even if we never get the Compagno, hopefully Japan will see a production version. And then in 25 years, crazy car enthusiasts such as ourselves might start bringing some over. Related Video:

Daihatsu's four Tokyo Motor Show concepts bring the Waku Waku

When Suzuki showed off two of its concept reveals for the Tokyo Motor Show, one was a kei car called the Waku Spo. As far as we can tell with Internet translators, that renders the words "box" and "ish," which we'll resolve into the entirely apt descriptive "boxy." Turns out when you double up on the waku, however, you get excitement, which could be how Daihatsu came to name one of its four Tokyo concepts the Waku Waku. The cerulean blue box with the searing orange highlights looks like the result of a kei car mixed with an overlander. Black cladding hunkers over tiny wheels shod in aggressive rubber. The rear windows are replaced by full-length interior panels with a jerry can motif above and attachment points below. The back half of the roof opens onto an additional storage area, and the bumper triples as a step and a platform. What's not to like? Sticking with the two-up names throughout, next comes the Ico Ico, an autonomous shuttle with its own robot assistant named Nippote. At just 58 inches wide, the four seater's designed to navigate especially cramped urban centers. Slide doors, a retractable ramp, and modular seating that can be moved around the cabin make easier access for the disabled. The Tsumu Tsumu is a kei-class goods carrier with a removable cargo box. The renderings show an industrial-strength drone that sits behind glass panels when not in use, and launches from the roof when operational. The artwork shows the foodservice box, the Tsumu Tsumu turned into a tiny food truck. The Wai Wai minivan makes room for two more passengers than the Ico Ico, swallowing six people in three rows of two. Front doors open to nearly 90 degrees, and rear sliding doors run to the back of the second row for better ingress and egress. Twin fabric sunroofs keep prevent a gloomy interior, and all of the seats fold down for when cargo instead of people needs hauling. We don't know what powers the concepts and what other neato tricks they might hide, but we looking forward to finding out when the Tokyo Motor Show opens later this month. Featured Gallery Daihatsu 2019 Tokyo Motor Show Concepts View 26 Photos Tokyo Motor Show Daihatsu Truck Crossover Minivan/Van Commercial Vehicles Concept Cars Off-Road Vehicles