Daihatsu – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today. Tue, 01 Aug 2023 01:00:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/en_rocket_1024.png?w=32 Daihatsu – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com 32 32 176746664 Daihatsu dealership takes down controversial tweet boasting that they like trees https://soranews24.com/2023/08/01/daihatsu-dealership-takes-down-controversial-tweet-boasting-that-they-like-trees/ https://soranews24.com/2023/08/01/daihatsu-dealership-takes-down-controversial-tweet-boasting-that-they-like-trees/#comments Tue, 01 Aug 2023 01:00:17 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=631476 
I think that I shall never see a tweet as backhanded about a tree.
In this age of social media, companies often find themselves walking that fine line of trying to make interesting and engaging posts while also keeping things clean in order to protect their brand image. Just take this message that was posted to Twitter (or “X”, I guess) by a Daihatsu dealership in Ehime Prefecture.
“From the Shikokucho Dealership,
Today we would like to show you the garden of our Shikokucho Dealership of Ehime Daihatsu. [tree emoji]
Large trees stand along the road in front of the dealership. [winky kaomoji]
They change in appearance with each season and sometimes the leaves can be troublesome, but they are soothing to look at. [tree emoji]
Please use these trees as a landmark to find our dealership. [happy kaomoji]“
Attached to the tweet (Xeet?) were photos of the Daihatsu dealership’s trees. While they weren’t the most majestic of trees, they did line the front of the business like the post described.
▼ They can also be seen on Google Street View.
It was certainly nice of them to take the time to acknowledge their trees and the tweet even yielded over 11,000 likes before it was taken down (Xaken down?). The reason for the removal was likely that the head honchos at Daihatsu HQ disapproved of what was actually a thinly veiled dig at their competitors, used-car dealership Bigmotor.
Anyone who’s been following the news in Japan will likely have at least caught a bit of the avalanche of scandals surrounding this major chain, with each one appearing more outlandish than the last.
It started with accusations of insurance fraud in that Bigmotor was inflating the costs of repairing vehicles. It later emerged that this wasn’t simply a matter of cooking the books like some other companies might get caught doing. Employees were reportedly instructed in elaborate ways to simulate damage, such as using a golf ball in a sock to recreate hail damage.
▼ This video shows a Bigmotor employee instructing how to puncture a tire in a way that looks natural when reported to insurance companies. “Think about how it looks in a photo,” he says at the start.
The scale of fraud that is believed to have taken place over the past five years is said to be “outrageous” and insurance companies are currently trying to unravel it all. Meanwhile, other accusations of harassment against staff, as well as coercion of subcontractors, have also been steadily emerging.
But perhaps the most cartoonishly absurd evil deed allegedly done by Bigmotor is the intentional killing of trees along public roads in front of their dealerships. Since at least 2022, urban planners around Japan have found roadside trees dying en masse in front of Bigmotor lots. An analysis in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture, found traces of herbicide at the scene.
The theory is that Bigmotor wanted the trees gone because they were obstructing the view of the vehicles for sale, but the company had initially denied this, saying that it is up to individual dealerships to maintain their lots. However, they added that the possibility existed that herbicides may have accidentally been used too close to public trees, where weeds should have been pulled instead.
Despite the denial, many people online have been using Google Street View’s “See more dates” function to find several Bigmotor locations where there were once trees but now aren’t. The Street View below is often brought up online as evidence of Bigmotor employees being caught in the act, though in their defense, they appear to be doing normal maintenance with rakes and tongs. Nevertheless, this scene is from 2017, and in current Street View images those trees are now all gone.
Following resignations at the top executive levels earlier this week, Bigmotor has since changed its stance and announced that after an investigation they found that some trees probably had died as a result of their herbicides. They also declared that they would work with local governments towards replacing lost trees and maintaining existing ones.
With all this in mind, it’s easy to see how Daihatsu’s love of trees might be seen as a snarky dig at Bigmotor. And considering how easy it is to look up the botanical records of the area surrounding every dealership in the country, it’s understandable that the company doesn’t want to rattle a potential hornets’ nest.
Online sleuths have already uncovered a Netz (Toyota) dealership on Street View with disappearing trees just after opening, and Daihatsu is a subsidiary of Toyota. That’s not to say anything nefarious necessarily took place there, but social media managers in glass dealerships probably should be careful when throwing tweets or Xeets.
Source: TV Asahi, Friday Digital, FNN Online Prime, NHK News Web, Big Motor, Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2023/08/01/daihatsu-dealership-takes-down-controversial-tweet-boasting-that-they-like-trees/feed/ 0 631476 Daihatsune Miku? Virtual idol cruises real roads in her cool collab car design from Daihatsu https://soranews24.com/2018/05/16/daihatsune-miku-virtual-idol-cruises-real-roads-in-her-cool-collab-car-design-from-daihatsu/ https://soranews24.com/2018/05/16/daihatsune-miku-virtual-idol-cruises-real-roads-in-her-cool-collab-car-design-from-daihatsu/#comments Wed, 16 May 2018 04:00:38 +0000 http://soranews24.com/?p=413340 
Compact car company Daihatsu joins forces with virtual singer Hatsune Miku to make a car design so cute it’ll stop traffic.
The sky is the limit for perky cyber star Hatsune Miku, who has already performed live concerts for millions of adoring fans, kept lonely café patrons company through their smartphones and even helped Vocaloid fanatics to build a line of credit.
It’s no surprise that Miku won’t allow herself to be confined to the information superhighway. As far back as 2014 she’s collaborated with trendy compact car company Daihatsu to create a range of snazzy blue Automobiles patterned after her famous “Snow Miku” designs.
▼ Here’s Snow Miku 2016 skiing alongside the Daihatsu Cast Activa sculpted in her image.
This time around she’s going back to her minty green roots, with Daihatsu’s MOVE Canbus HATSUNE MIKU Limited Package. The Canbus is a hot favorite with women, sporting a cute minibus style that still fits the strict specifications of the super-light Kei (“light”) cars. Kei cars are lighter and smaller than other automobiles, with strict regulations on how hard the engine can go (maximum displacement for kei cars is 600 ccs). Very fitting for drivers who just want to navigate around Japan’s narrow roads without breaking any speed limits!
Daihatsu put out surveys back in September 2017 to see what Miku fans were most eager to see in a Daihatsu Miku design. Compiling all the responses led to this exciting automobile set! First, let’s check out the car’s exterior.
▼ Classy, crisp, kawaii.
The palette borrows from her usual tones of silvery gray and blue-green. The decals around the car add significant splashes of her personality, with familiar iconography from her base design: the front door features all the buttons and controls she wears on her sleeve, and the fuel cap has a striking side shadow print. The Daihatsu emblem is also topped with a dedication to Miku’s 10th anniversary.
▼ Check the cute piano decal that edges the quarter windows!
Then climb inside to enjoy even more of that cyber idol aesthetic.
The seats and wheels borrow from her trademark outfit and twintails, and the shift stick has a cover bearing her 01 brand.
If that isn’t enough Miku mileage, how about seat-belt covers based on her tie? Or a tissue case to sling over the back of your seat, embroidered with her silhouette?
▼ “You can order these options for cars outside the MOVE Canbus line!”
Unfortunately, the kei vehicles aren’t suitable for driving on most non-Japanese roads. Still, you can console yourself with the fact that this classy car package, including the base model (Move Canbus G-Make Up SA III in Pearl White and Metallic Green) would have set you back a mighty 1,700,000 yen (US$15,473).
https://twitter.com/komacustom/status/995073470340874240
Daihatsu kindly also offers a full set of the decals, seat-belt covers and other apparel for sale through Amazon, so you can borrow some Miku magic for your own car for a comparatively cheap 107,450 yen plus shipping.
Even with the high price, praise from Miku’s devoted fans is ringing out across the web:
“These official itasha are on another level.”
“I want it! If only I wasn’t stuck with my CVT vehicle!”
“I love her outfit in the official art…”
“Daihatsu are working hard to do right by Miku. With the Snow Miku lines, that makes three cars with top-class designs…The world of cars is really daunting.”
Take us home, Miku!
For even more Miku, make sure to take a pitstop and admire the beautiful Hina Matsuri doll that a Tokyo dollmaking shop crafted in her image. Here’s hoping the year has even more cool collaborations in store!
Source: Daihatsu via Hachima Kikou
Images: Daihatsu
]]> https://soranews24.com/2018/05/16/daihatsune-miku-virtual-idol-cruises-real-roads-in-her-cool-collab-car-design-from-daihatsu/feed/ 0 413340 Screenshot_5 Daihatsu shows off the Copen, its sporty new convertible with room for (barely) two https://soranews24.com/2014/05/19/daihatsu-shows-off-the-copen-its-sporty-new-convertible-with-room-for-barely-two/ https://soranews24.com/2014/05/19/daihatsu-shows-off-the-copen-its-sporty-new-convertible-with-room-for-barely-two/#comments Mon, 19 May 2014 08:30:26 +0000 http://en.rocketnews24.com/?p=149627 
The town of Hakone, located high in the mountains of Kanagawa Prefecture, is one of Japan’s most popular tourist destinations. Visitors come to enjoy its soothing hot springs, beautiful views of Mt. Fuji, and art museums focusing on outdoor sculpture installations and Venetian glass.
Hakone also happens to be home to some of the best driving roads in east Japan, too, which is why Daihatsu picked the site to show off its new compact convertible, the Copen, to fans and press.
While very few are exported, Japan produces an entire class of ultra-compact automobiles called kei (Japanese for “light”) cars. Just how small are they? Under current regulations, kei cars have a maximum allowable length of just 3.4 meters (11 feet, 2 inches), and must be no more than 1.48 meters (4 feet, 10 inches) wide.
Still, kei cars are an attractive transportation choice for many drivers. Their small size means a lower purchase price and better fuel efficiency, and they’re also easier to navigate and park on Japanese roads, which tend to be crowded in the city and narrow in the countryside. Many can even haul an impressive amount of cargo, as a result of the nearly ubiquitously boxy styling of cars in the segment.
▼ The kei-class Daihatsu Tanto Custom
As practical as kei cars are, though, they don’t exactly set drivers’ hearts on fire. If you can criticize most comfortable yet dull full-size sedans for feeling like a living room on wheels, you could call most keis a motorized walk-in closet.
Until 2012, though, there was one kei car that was actually built with the objective of being fun to drive, Daihatsu’s two-seater convertible, the Copen.
The Copen won over a large number of fans during its 10-year production run, and no sooner did the last roll off the assembly line than rumors began to spread that Daihatsu had a successor planned. Last fall, the automaker even showed off a concept for a new Copen at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Building on that momentum, this month Daihatsu invited a group of fans and photographers to come out to Hakone and go for a spin in an early prototype of its second-generation sporty kei.
Like its predecessor, the new Copen is a two-seater drop-top. While we don’t know exactly how much power its engine produces, kei regulations stipulate a maximum displacement of 660 ccs, so if your first and only motoring desire is neck-snapping acceleration, this probably isn’t the ride for you.
On the other hand, the Copen’s compact dimensions, and therefore tight turning radius, make it suited for a mountain pass run, which is exactly why Daihatsu selected Hakone’s Toyo Tires Turnpike for this event.
▼ Yes, the road is sponsored by a tire company.
As car after car in the still-camouflaged fleet buzzed past, we didn’t spot any drivers whose sprits seemed dampened by the engine’s small size.
After all the cars had pulled back into the parking lot, the attendees offered opinions and feedback to the Daihatsu staff. For many, combining the size and affordability of a kei with the convertible joy of feeling the sun on their faces and the wind in their hair was the best of both worlds.
Daihatsu is expected to formally announce the new Copen next month, at which point we’ll probably know a little bit more about the upcoming cars exact specifications. Judging from the reactions we saw in Hakaone, we think they’ve got at least a few people who’d like to drive one home from the dealer as soon as possible.
Top image: RocketNews24
Insert images: Daihatsu, Goo, RocketNews24
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