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The 2018 Daihatsu Altis Is A Japan-only Take On The 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid

Daihatsu may be known better for its fairly successful kei cars, but the Toyota-owned company makes bigger cars as well. The all-new Altis serves as a case in point, and yes, it’s a 2018 Toyota Camry in disguise.
2018 Daihatsu Altis 7 photos
Photo: Daihatsu
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Introduced in 2000 and bettered ever since, the Altis available today at Japanese retailers is a hybrid-only affair. Other than the different badges and start-up animation, there are few things to set the all-new Altis apart from the eighth-generation Camry. Therefore, the business end of Daihatsu's mid-size sedan relies on an internal combustion engine and an electric motor.

The D-4S develops a not-exactly-exciting 178 PS (176 horsepower) and 221 Nm (163 pound-feet), whereas the hybrid means of propulsion has 120 PS (118 horsepower) and 202 Nm (149 pound-feet) to its name. Total system output stands at 211 PS (208 hp), with all of that goodness being sent to the front axle by means of a continuously variable transmission.

Japanese customers have only one trim level to choose from, called G, and retail pricing kicks off from 3,499,200 yen. Converted to U.S. dollars, it translates to approximately $31,150. By comparison, the Japan-spec 2018 Toyota Camry in entry-level configuration is 3,294,000 yen (~$29,305).

And for what it’s worth, the 2018 Daihatsu Altis is fully kitted from the get-go. LED-accented headlights, fog lamps, and taillights, eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat, push-button start, automatic climate control with ionization, and a seven-inch TFT screen integrated into the instrument cluster. Furthermore, the Altis is backed up by Toyota’s Safety Sense P.

The suite of active safety features and driving aids includes plenty of systems, including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning with steering control, active cruise control, rear cross traffic alert, and rear cross traffic auto brake. Curiously enough, blind spot monitoring is offered by Daihatsu as an optional extra.

On a slight tangent, Daihatsu took up the challenge to help Toyota develop passenger cars for emerging markets. The fruit of this collaboration bears the name ECCC, standing for Emerging-market Compact Car Company.”
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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