Daihatsu Launches Black-Accented Tanto Special Edition and Upgrades Tanto and Thor with New Safety Tech
Daihatsu begins selling a black-accented Tanto special edition and an upgraded Tanto and Thor on Aug. 31, adding new colors and extra cyclist/pedestrian detection.
- 60 km/h → 80 km/h
- 1,700 mm
- 2003
- 10
What Happened
Daihatsu has launched a special-edition Tanto called Daily Tool and is introducing a partial upgrade of the Tanto mini passenger car and Thor compact passenger car, with nationwide sales starting Monday, Aug. 31. The Tanto has been sold since 2003 and helped create the super-height minicar category, which covers mini passenger cars with an overall height of 1,700 mm or more. The current Tanto lineup includes the Tanto, Tanto Custom, and Tanto FunCross, and Daihatsu says the cars are especially popular with families with children.
Daihatsu launches the original Tanto, pioneering the super-height minicar category.
Nationwide sales begin for the black-accented Tanto special edition and the partially upgraded Tanto and Thor.
- Daily Tool: a Tanto special edition with black accents on the colored door mirrors, outside door handles, and aluminum wheels.
- Daily Tool Style: adds a dedicated accessory package for a more distinctive, stylish look.
- Urban Tough Style (Tanto FunCross): combines a dedicated accessory package with a design balancing urban sophistication and rugged strength, using ten dedicated accessories including decals, garnishes, and emblem accents.
- Tanto: Smooth Gray Mica Metallic and Black Mica Metallic × Smooth Gray Mica Metallic.
- Thor: newly developed Yellowish Black Crystal Mica, Grayish Olive Metallic, and Black Mica Metallic × Grayish Olive Metallic, plus added Shining White Pearl, Cool Violet Crystal Shine, and Black Mica Metallic × Shining White Pearl (manufacturer options).
- Tanto FunCross: exterior mirrors and door handles changed to Black Mica Metallic, and 14-inch and 15-inch aluminum wheels changed to black.
80 km/hkm/h
The Smart Assist update raises the limit from 60 km/h.
- Added Crossing Cyclist Detection for bicycles crossing the vehicle's path.
- Added detection of oncoming vehicles when turning right at intersections and of pedestrians crossing from the opposite direction when turning right or left.
- Improved ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) preceding-vehicle detection range and accuracy.
- Reduced sway during LKC (Lane Keep Control) operation on Tanto models.
- Thor X grade adds a driver's seat lifter, headlamp illumination extension, standard SRS side airbags (driver/front passenger), standard SRS curtain shield airbags (front/rear seats), two rear corner sensors, self-illuminating twin meters with tachometer, TFT color multi-information display, and a driver's armrest.
ACC is standard on Tanto Custom RS, FunCross Turbo, and X Turbo grades and available as an option on Custom X, FunCross, and X grades; on the Thor it is standard on Custom G Turbo and Custom G grades and optional on G Turbo and G. LKC is standard on the same Tanto grades and optional on the other listed Tanto grades. Daihatsu says it will keep offering high-quality, affordable products that support customers' lifestyles, and notes that Smart Assist is a driver-support system with limitations that may not work in all road and weather conditions. Prices are suggested retail only, set by individual sales companies, and exclude insurance, taxes, recycling fees, registration, and other charges.
Previously from Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.
Daihatsu's new Tanto and Thor upgrades come days after the company's Mira e:S partial upgrade went on sale nationwide on Aug. 27. That earlier update added a new engine with up to 8% better fuel economy and extra Smart Assist preventive safety features.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Daihatsu is refreshing its Tanto minicar lineup and the compact Thor; the Tanto has been well received by a broad range of customers, particularly families with children. The update adds more preventive-safety features that can help avoid collisions with cyclists and pedestrians, including at higher speeds, and gives buyers more color and styling choices. It shows the company continuing to update its affordable small cars with competitive safety equipment.
Terms in This Story
- Smart Assist
- Daihatsu's name for its preventive safety assistant system that can warn of or brake for hazards; it has functional limits and may not work in all conditions.
- ACC
- Adaptive Cruise Control, which automatically adjusts a car's speed to keep a set distance from the vehicle ahead.
- LKC
- Lane Keep Control, a system that helps keep the car centered in its lane.
- super-height category
- In Japan, mini passenger cars with a total height of 1,700 mm or more.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.