Daihatsu develops new engine for mini-cars

Daihatsu, Toyota’s mini-car affiliate, is rushing the development of a new gasoline engine for next generation mini-cars. The company wants to take advantage of the Japanese government’s new extended tax cuts for green cars which also includes fuel efficient gasoline-powered vehicles which comply with 2015 norms or are 25% more efficient than the 2010 standards. Daihatsu is developing a 2-cylinder turbocharged direct-injection engine, which promises to be more fuel efficient than the Mira e:S. The Mira e:S, which was launched last September, has a fuel efficiency of 30 kilometers per liter. “We’re just at the starting line [with the e:S]. We will continue striving to improve fuel efficiency…Daihatsu wants to position its upcoming gas-powered vehicles as a third genre of eco-friendly car,” said Koichi Ina, Daihatsu’s president. (December 21, 2011)