Daihatsu Copen's new replacement prepares to debut

Daihatsu Copen has always strived to be super cute, not super fast. And this formula will continue as Daihatsu unveils five concepts called the Kopen (with the letter K) as successors to one of Japan's smallest sports cars. All five concepts will be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month, with the version that will cause the most buzz potentially linked to series production.

The similarity of the Kopen concepts to the 2011 DX concept also suggests that the development of the Copen is at an advanced stage, with only the surface design to be completed. Copen is a halo model for Daihatsu, which specializes in small cars, so it's important for the brand to create an eye-catching design.

Copen was also one of the last Daihatsu sold in Australia before Japan's oldest car manufacturer was removed from our market in 2007 by parent company Toyota. It continued to be sold overseas until production was halted earlier this year, making a model replacement inevitable. When Copen was launched in 2003, it combined a 0.66-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine into a lightweight body in a miniature footprint.

Its 50kW and 100Nm was enough to power a small sports car, but not enough to break any records. The folding aluminum roof, low center of gravity and curved body have made this cheap car popular in many markets around the world, especially its domestic market in Japan. Kopen concepts stick to this formula, although the concept cars rely on CVT automatic transmission (very popular in Japan) instead of the manual setting that was available in Australia.

But the miniature turbo engine, folding metal roof, and toy-car feel remained. The sports roadster concept will be the same as Honda S660 was presented at an exhibition in Tokyo. - another roadster of a similar size. While there's a slim chance we'll see the latter in Australia, it's unlikely Toyota would consider resurrecting the new Copen in our market.