2023 Daihatsu Hijet Dump Bed on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1990 Daihatsu Rocky SX

The Daihatsu Motor Company, best-known for its popular kei cars and vans in Japan, made a short-lived attempt to sell highway vehicles in the United States. From the 1988 through 1992 model years, the Charade subcompact and Rocky mini-SUV could be purchased here, after which the brand packed up and went home. As you might imagine, the Charade is very rare and the Rocky nearly nonexistent today, but my junkyard searching never ceases and I find examples here and there. Here's a 1990 Rocky, found in a self-service yard near Denver, Colorado. The Rocky name was used mostly in Japan and North America, while the rest of the world knew this truck as the Feroza or Sportrak.   Its narrow track and light weight made the Rocky good for off-road use and the price tag was reasonable, but (as was also the case with the Suzuki Samurai) it didn't fare so well as an American highway commuter. The main reason Rocky sales never really took off here, though, was the never-heard-of-it manufacturer coupled with a nasty recession.   Toyota, which owned enough of Daihatsu to have veto power over business decisions in 1990, eventually took full control of the company in 2016. Today, Toyota rakes in the yen selling Daihatsu Hijet trucks around the world.   The 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine in the Rocky made 94 horsepower.   Both the Rocky and the Charade could be purchased with a four-speed automatic transmission, but most buyers opted for the cheaper and more fuel-efficient five-on-the-floor manual. In fact, I've found but a single slushbox Daihatsu in all my years of junkyard crawling.   This little truck trundled over just past 200,000 miles of asphalt and (presumably) mud, dirt, and snow during its 31 years. For a Daihatsu, that's very impressive.   But the resale value on a well-worn small truck with three pedals and badges from a mystery manufacturer isn't so great, so here it sits. As rare as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster! In Japan, shrill cuteness sold Rockies. In Oz, the Feroza's off-road abilities kept it from being late to surfing appointments. As tough as Uncle Toby's Iron Men. The Feroza name was used in Europe as well. Intensely rad Dutch car shoppers could get the Feroza's canvas top in various 1980s early 1990s pastel colors, to match their leg warmers.

3D-printed car parts are now a real thing

Until now, 3D printing car parts has been somewhat of a homebrew affair. That's changing, as one automaker will soon begin offering custom-printed pieces for vehicle personalization. Daihatsu is pairing with 3D printing company Stratasys and industrial designers from Znug Design to bring customers new body panels for its adorable Copen model. The Copen is a small two-seat roadster-coupe that has swappable body panels from the factory, so changing them for 3D-printed versions should be relatively easy. Although this specific car is not sold in the US, it's easy to see how 3D printing could catch on here for all sorts of vehicle customization. The 3D parts are called "Effect Skins," and there is a reasonably wide variety of different combinations: 15 geometric and organic patterns available in 10 different colors. They are not completely locked down by the manufacturer, either; customer modifications are possible, thanks to the flexibility of 3D printing. Using a more conventional method, manufacturing plastic body parts to customer specifications would take months, but these parts will be available in just a couple of weeks, says Osamu Fujishita from Daihatsu's Brand DNA Office. The parts are being made available for 2017, and they are designed to dress up the Copen's fenders and front and rear bumpers. The panels are printed using Fortus Production 3D Printers with ASA thermoplastic, which resists both knocks and UV damage. The result can be a Daihatsu like no other, and it sure beats going to Pep Boys for stick-on chrome vents. Related Video: News Source: Stratasys via GizmagImage Credit: Stratasys Plants/Manufacturing Daihatsu Technology Emerging Technologies Convertible customization daihatsu copen

Question of the Day: What's the most irritating car name?

You hear a lot about how the Chevrolet Nova was a sales flop in Mexico because "No va" means "it doesn't go" in Spanish; in fact, the Nova sold pretty well south of the border, and in any case most Spanish-speakers know that "Nova" means "new" in Latin and Portuguese. However, General Motors doesn't deserve to be let off the hook for bad car names, because the Oldsmobile Achieva— no doubt inspired by the excruciating "coffee achievers" ads of the 1980s— scrapes the biggest fingernails down the screechiest chalkboard in the US-market car-name world. That is, unless you think Daihatsu's incomprehensible choice of Charade was worse. Meanwhile, Japanese car buyers could get machines with cool names like Mazda Bongo Friendee or Honda Life Dunk. It's just not fair! So, what car name drives you the craziest? Related Video: Auto News Design/Style Chevrolet Honda Mazda Daihatsu Automotive History questions car names