Daihatsu

About Daihatsu

Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (Japanese: ダイハツ工業株式会社, Hepburn: Daihatsu Kōgyō Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese automobile manufacturer headquartered in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. One of the oldest surviving Japanese internal combustion engine manufacturers, the company was known for building three-wheeled vehicles and off-road vehicles, while currently the company offers a range of kei car models, along with kei trucks, kei vans and other larger small cars in Japan. Because of the company's focus on kei cars, 70 percent of Daihatsu drivers in Japan are female. The company produces entry-level compact cars in Japan and Southeast Asia, which are often supplied to global emerging markets under the Toyota brand. As of 2023, Daihatsu's presence has been limited to Japan and Indonesia under the Daihatsu brand, and Malaysia under the Perodua brand, where the company has significant research and development resources, manufacturing facilities and sales operations. Since August 2016, the company has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Toyota Motor Corporation.