Toyota/Daihatsu Launch Passo Sette/Boon Luminas

Japanese automaker Toyota and its subsidiary Daihatsu introduced a new seven-seater compact model which will be sold in Japan under two different names: Passo Sette for Toyota and Boon Luminas for Daihatsu. In case you're wondering where do the names come from, Sette means seven in Italian, while Luminas is supposed to suggest that the car is roomy and spacious.

“The roomy, user-friendly and stylish compacts are small enough to make handling easy and big enough to accommodate seven people. Featuring the driving-assistance features and comforts often favored by female drivers, the Passo Sette and Boon Luminas offer added flexibility for mothers with young children and help support active and exciting lifestyles,” the two carmakers said in a statement released to the press.

“For the Passo Sette and Boon Luminas, TMC and Daihatsu combined their product-planning know-how, with Daihatsu putting to use its extensive experience in compact vehicles to be in charge of development and production. Daihatsu will supply the Passo Sette to TMC on an original equipment manufacturer basis.”

And because technical specifications are the most important details when talking about a new car, you should probably know that each of these models is powered by a 1.5-liter engine connected to a four-speed automatic transmission and developing a maximum power of 80 kW (109 PS). Fuel consumption was rated at 15.6 km/l.

The Japanese automakers claim the vehicles are capable of providing advanced safety functions, including a Vehicle Stability Control system, six airbags, headrests for both driver and front passenger plus several adjustments to minimize injuries in case of pedestrian collision.

Pricing starts at 1,490,000 yen (approximately 16,500 US dollars) for Passo Sette and at 1,535,000 yen (about $17,000) for Luminas. Both models are exclusively addressed to the Japanese market, with Daihatsu's Kyoto plant the only facility to manufacture the new model. The automakers estimated a monthly sale of approximately 3,000 units for Toyota Passo Sette and 500 units for Daihatsu Boon Luminas.