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Report: Daihatsu leaving European market

More than any other, two carmaking giants sit at the top of the industry: Toyota and General Motors. But while GM sells under a (shrinking but still) expansive range of brands, the Toyota Motor Corporation sells most of its vehicles under its own name. That doesn't mean that Toyota, however, doesn't have its own portfolio of subsidiaries. Here in the United States we have the youth-oriented Scion division, while Lexus handles its upscale offerings, and overseas there's Daihatsu.
The budget brand offers a range of small cars under its own name; most are hatchbacks, but there's also the Copen roadster and even a rebadged Camry called the Altis. You may have come across some of their offerings while traveling overseas, particularly in Europe, but that last part is about to come to an end, according to reports.
Word from across the pond is that Toyota plans to withdraw Daihatsu from the European market altogether. The move would reportedly take effect in 2013, and if it comes to pass, would follow similar withdrawals from the North American (1992) and Australian (2006) markets. Thanks for the tip, William!

Daihatsu FC Case Concept is autonomous, high-tech transportation

The one thing that's been missing from this year's Tokyo Motor Show are the inevitable rolling living room concepts of years past. But Daihatsu has come to the rescue with its FC Case concept.
The rolling bread box might not look like much from the outside, but inside it's packed with folding seats and a host of infotainment gadgets. Just as important is the FC's method of propulsion, a variant of hydrogen called hydrazine hydrate or N2H4 H2O (yes, we had to look it up) that's synthesized from nitrogen and hydrogen. Daihatsu says the fuel has a higher energy density and lower flammability, but more intriguing is the delivery. Hydrazine hydrate can supposedly be transported and inserted into the vehicle much like gasoline, which takes care of that pesky infrastructure situation. Couple that with some kind of autonomous driving system and it's not hard to imagine a fleet of FCs running down the highway at speed, bumper-to-bumper, cleanly and quickly delivering employees to work in 2035... or something.

Toyota launches Pixis Space; first kei cars are Daihatsus in drag

Toyota has announced that it will unveil its first-ever kei car to be sold under its recently launched Pixis sub-brand. The vehicle, called the Pixis Space, will make its official debut in late September. Based on the Daihatsu Move Conte, the Pixis Space will be sold at Toyota dealerships through what the automakers calls "Pixis stations." Yes, seriously.
After Toyota's version of the Daihatsu Move Conte makes its debut, the Japanese automaker will launch a Pixis-badged Daihatsu Hijet truck and microvan in December. By the end of 2012, Toyota says it will launch a Pixis version of the upcoming Daihatsu e:S - a vehicle that returns 70.6 miles per gallon (U.S.) as measured under Japan's JC08 test cycle.
In case you weren't aware, Daihatsu - Japan's oldest manufacturer of automobiles - operates under the control of Toyota. In other words, these Pixis machines are simply badge engineering at the kei level.