Thought Japanese kei cars are some rubbish toasters on small wheels? Well, Daihatsu just revealed its new Copen convertible and it’s absolutely irresistible.
The Daihatsu Kopen concept has been firstly introduced in 2013 at the Tokyo Motor Show, promising to be one of the funkiest convertible kei cars ever made. Recently we’ve been teased with a camouflaged version and even a brochure leak, but today, the automaker completely pulled the wraps off.
Following the concept’s lines, the production version Daihatsu Copen looks almost flawless for its kind. “Almost” because those taillamps look like some crappy ones borrowed from Renault and fitted with a sharp downwards extension.
Ignore the taillights and you’ll find the new Copen more than interesting for a city car that will occasionally see some country lanes. The car is 3,395 mm long, 1,475 mm wide, 1,280 mm tall and is built on a lightweight monocoque framework called the D-Frame (no puns intended), which is said to be three times stiffer (again, no puns intended) than the one in the old Kopen.
Along with being light and strong, the new frame allows users to replace almost every single body panel (except the doors and roof) to customize the little cabrio. Same thing goes for the interior, with most of the trimming being fully replaceable.
Speaking about the interior, it’s simplicity makes for a clean symmetric design, garnished with carbon fiber-looking trimmings (which by the way look pretty nice for what they are), leather wrapped steering wheel and gear shifter, standard air conditioning, heated seats, push-button Start, keyless entry and more. The only optional part appears to be the infotainment system, which gets mounted right on top of the nicely shaped central console.
Powering the new Copen is a 660cc turbocharged KF type three-cylinder engine making 64 hp and 92 Nm (68 lb-ft) of torque. Two transmissions are available - a CVT or a 5-speed manual - both sending power to the front axle and there is also an optional limited slip differential on the list.
You would expect the new Copen to be offered with a standard cloth, manual folding roof, right? Wrong, the new convertible still keeps the spirit of its predecessor and comes fitted with a two-piece electric operated hardtop, the whole car now tipping the scales just 40 kg (154 lb) more.
Price for this little jewel is set at ¥1,798,200 (~$17,600) for the standard CVT model and ¥1,819,800 (~$17,800) for the sportier 5-speed version.
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