After sitting on the sidelines for a tad too long, Daihatsu will soon launch an electric kei mini commercial van. The series production car has yet to be revealed but the Daihatsu is displaying a prototype based on the Daihatsu Hijet at an exhibition that will run in parallel with the G7 Hiroshima Summit, from May 18 to May 21.
Daihatsu says the battery electric van has a circa 200 km range, and the electric drivetrain is jointly developed with Suzuki and Toyota.
The model will be launched within the current 2023 financial year, which ends in 31-March 2024.
Daihatsu will produce the model but contract manufacturing for Suzuki- and Toyota-badged variants will also be carried out.
To date, only Mitsubishi has an electric commercial van on sale in Japan – the MiniCab MiEV.
Kei vehicles are a special category of light vehicles that are exempted from the compulsory proof of parking – which all car buyers in Japan must produce before they can register a new car.
Kei cars are identified by their yellow license plates. Commercial-use kei vehicles have yellow-black license plates.
Also read: The silver bullet to solve low EV adoption in Japan – almost successful if not for one silly reason
