Daihatsu · Tanto

Daihatsu Tanto 2nd generation (L375S/L385S)

Years
2007–2013
Chassis
L375S/L385S
Drivetrain
FF / 4WD
Daihatsu Tanto 2nd generation (L375S/L385S)

Image: Mr.choppers / CC BY-SA 4.0

Story

This generation brought the "Miracle Open Door", which Daihatsu describes as the first pillar-in-door on a kei car.

Stories

01

Because the door couldn't slide far enough back

To be loved even more by parents raising children, the second-generation Tanto had a power sliding door with no left B-pillar. A rear sliding door had been decided first, but because the car is short, the door could not slide back as far as they wanted. So they made it pillarless to widen the opening. It had also been decided from the start to build a welfare-spec version, and that was taken into account too. The previous model had been quite a hit and other makers were expected to enter the market, so Motooka developed it believing that the product had to be made much stronger to keep the momentum.

02

No shared face

The second-generation Tanto was designed to carry on its predecessor's DNA. Koyama says, "At Daihatsu, we value the variety we give each model." Daihatsu's models are mainly kei cars with size constraints, so it cannot use the approach of European cars, which share the same face and differ only in size. Because kei cars are used as tools, he believed there is a shape suited to that.

Chassis

Length 3,395 mmWB 2,490 mm1,750 mmHeightWidth 1,475 mm
Curb weight
900-1,010kg

US import eligibility

Earliest cars
Eligible from December 203225 years after sales began in December 2007
Last cars
Eligible during 203825 years after sales ended in 2013 (month not recorded)

Eligibility depends on each car's month of manufacture on its build plate, not on the sale dates shown here (NHTSA).

Japanese cars by US import year →

Engineers

Toyoji Motooka

Toyoji Motooka

Chief engineer in the kei car development block of Daihatsu Motor's product development division. He was responsible for the model change to the second-generation Tanto.

Takahiko Koyama

Takahiko Koyama

Section manager of the development group in the Second Design Department of Daihatsu Motor. He was responsible for the design of the second-generation Tanto.