Tokyo 2009: Daihatsu to go little in a big way with Basket, Deca Deca, and others

March 11, 2010 – 1:45 am

Filed under: Concept Cars, Japan, Tokyo Motor Show, Military, Design/Style

Daihatsu Basket Concept - Click above for image gallery

There may be a bunch of conspicuously absent automakers missing from this month’s Tokyo Motor Show, but the thing about the Japanese show is that a lot of the really neat stuff comes from the hometown guys, anyway. Take Daihatsu, for instance. Rather than try to wow everyone with fairy-dust tech in concepts that will never see the outside of an exhibition hall, The D is keeping things simple, small, and real. Even the concept cars look like they’re not that far removed from reality. Let’s start there.

The coolest rig at the Daihatsu stand will doubtlessly be the Basket concept, shown above, which lets you get more in touch with nature via a removable hard roof panel and fabric top for the rear seat. We want one. Badly. The Decca Decca concept (shown at right) is described as a “Super Box” by the automaker, with massive swing-out doors on the passenger side that lead to a nifty, multi-configuration interior. The van’s driver’s side has one standard door only. Aft of that is a solid panel broken up by a high window. Again, very cool.

The e:S concept looks production-ready, and we’d guess something just like it will be in showrooms before long. It’s a kei car built on a shortened, existing platform, with a white Mini Cooper-style roof for added flair, plus weight reduction and a stop/start system for increased efficiency. Those three concepts are joined by the Tanto Exe and Exe Custom, which are production-bound, lightweight, restyled variants of the Tanto micro-minivan. Daihatsu’s press release is posted after the jump, along with full image galleries of each car. Check ‘em out.

Gallery: Tokyo 2009: Daihatsu Basket Concept