The Daihatsu Vision Copen Is Back, But A Whole Lot Bigger Than Before

In the Western world, it’s easy to forget Daihatsu exists - having long ago exited European markets. However, the brand continues to have a strong presence in its home country of Japan, and it may well have just revealed one of the most interesting concepts of the year.

This is the Daihatsu Vision Copen, seen ahead of its reveal at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show (the Tokyo Motor Show in a previous life) later this month.

If its cute design rings a bell, that’s because it’s been styled to look like the original version of the dinky sports car, only if someone had resto-modded it in 2023. Differences in the design are there - full circular head- and taillights being replaced by LED rings are the most obvious - but it’s a near carbon copy of the first-generation car’s styling otherwise.

It has grown by quite some margin, however. The Vision Copen totals 3.8m in length and 1.7m in width - making it 400mm longer and 220mm wider than the current Copen in production. It’s only a smidge smaller than a Mazda MX-5 too, so you have an idea of what Daihatsu could be targeting with this new iteration.

Other details on the car are pretty scarce, but it’s powered by a 1.3-litre engine capable of running on carbon-neutral fuel, with grunt sent to the rear wheels. There’s no official word yet on if and when the Vision Copen could go into production either, but this concept doesn’t look far from roadworthy.

Alongside the Copen, Daihatsu also lifted the covers on four other concepts. These include the me:MO - reminiscent of a scaled-up Citroen Ami - and the Uniform, shown as both a  tiny van and a cartoonish mini truck.

Finally, there’s also the Osanpo, a rugged-looking, two-seater small electric convertible. Daihatsu says it’s like “taking a walk through nature”. In case that’s your thing.