DAIHATSU Altis 2006-2010 Photos, engines & full specs

Daihatsu introduced the third generation of the Altis on the Japanese market in 2006, in the same year as its better-known sibling, Toyota Camry.

Making a badge-engineered car was an intelligent way to make money from the same product. While Toyota struggled to build the Camry for the U.S. or Australian markets, it noticed that it could sell that in its home country as well. But instead of using the Toyota badge, it used the Daihatsu brand to grow the small company's awareness.

The 2006 Camry was no longer bland and showed a more dynamic appearance, and it was targeted to middle-aged family customers, and so was the Altis. Its angular-looking headlights swept back to the fenders, and the aerodynamic apron was more attractive. From its sides, the raked A-pillars and the curved surfaces combined in sharp angles made their point: it was a dynamic vehicle.

Inside, the Altis featured a new center stack design, a more ergonomic climate control unit, and a CD-Stereo. Although it featured wood trims on the door panels and center console, it combined them with gray, aluminum-like decorations on the steering wheel and the center stack. It tried to show some premium-inspired features, and in some way, it did that. Unlike the cars Camrys sold in Australia or the U.S., it wasn't available with a sport package.

Like its predecessors, Daihatsu didn't use the V-6 engine for the Altis. It offered only the 2.4-liter inline-four unit paired to a five-speed automatic transmission. Unlike the Camry, though, the carmaker made the Altis available with an all-wheel-drive system.