Daihatsu Charade | |
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Overview | |
Manufacturer | Daihatsu |
Production | 1977–2000 1986–2012 (China) |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Supermini (B) |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Daihatsu Consorte |
Successor | Daihatsu Storia/Sirion |
The Daihatsu Charade is a supermini car produced by the Japanese manufacturer Daihatsu from 1977 to 2000. It is considered by Daihatsu as a "large compact" or "supermini" car, to differentiate it from the smaller kei car compacts in its line-up, such as the Daihatsu Mira. In Japan, it offers buyers more interior space and a larger engine that allows for the car to also be used outside of urban areas. It replaced the Daihatsu Consorte, although the Charmant took over from the bigger-engined Consortes, and didn't share a platform with a Toyota product.
The name "Charade" is a direct reference to the french racetrack Circuit de Charade, which held the French Grand Prix in 1965, 1969, 1970 and 1972. [1]
In China, the Daihatsu Charade was called Xiali and was produced by Tianjin FAW, under the registered mark of "China FAW". From September 1986 to 2009, it sold over 1.5 million units in that country. It also provided the basis for countless unlicensed Chinese copies, often depending on fibreglass moldings taken from the second generation Charade. Production ended in 2012.