For this reason, Daihatsu has to return to the Netherlands

Daihatsu has not been in the Netherlands for ten years. Are we missing the brand? Partly because when we see this study model like this, we suddenly become completely nostalgic for the incredibly beautiful Copen.

In Japan, Daihatsu has been working on the second generation Copen for some time, which was launched in 2014. The now defunct brand sold the first generation between 2004 and 2011.

Daihatsu Copen is a kei car

The Copen is a kei car, which means, among other things, that it falls into certain dimensions and grants owners certain financial advantages. Both generations are only 3.4 meters long.

In Japan, a tiny 660 cc three-cylinder provides power, but in Europe we got the Copen with a 1.3-liter four-cylinder. The block produced 87 hp, which is okay given the car’s weight of 850 kilos.

Vision Copen much bigger

The study model above will be on display at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo later this month and is officially called Vision Copen. It looks exactly like the first generation Copen, but is much larger.

The Vision Copen is over 3.8 meters long and is therefore close to the Mazda MX-5. Daihatsu has opted for rear-wheel drive. With regular Copen the front wheels are driven.

Not fully electric

It’s worth noting that the Vision Copen is not fully electric. It has a 1.3-liter gasoline engine with more than 60 horsepower. Unfortunately, the Daihatsu does not have a manual transmission. We discover a vending machine.

As far as we know, the Copen is the only remaining Kei sports car. Honda has discontinued the great S660 in 2022. Suzuki hasn’t made Cara and Cappuccino since the 1990s.