The Daihatsu Copen lives on! But only for Japan…

Good news for fans of small, lightweight, affordable sports cars: Daihatsu has previewed the next generation of its cutesy Copen roadster. Bad news if you live anywhere other than Japan: you likely won’t be able to buy it. Boo!

The carmaker revealed a concept of its new roadster at the Japan Mobility Show – and with those round headlights there’s no doubting where it gets its genes from. Think of it as evolution rather than revolution, though we’re big fans of those new wheels.

It’ll remain front engined too, and while we’ve no specifics just yet, it’ll likely feature the current Copen’s 660cc 3cyl powertrain, as per kei car regulations. Unlike the two previous generation Copens however, we’re told it’ll be rear drive. Interesting.

Toyota CEO Koji Sato announced that Akio Toyoda himself will take on the role of “driving and breaking the Copen a lot” during testing. “I truly can't wait to see what kind of car this Copen will be like,” he added, suggesting this thing will eventually see the light of day.

But given that Daihatsu hasn’t been seen on our shores for over a decade it remains unlikely that we’ll ever get it here, though back in 2023 it did reveal a slightly bigger Vision Copen concept, powered by a 1.3-litre petrol engine. 

Come on Daihatsu, you know what to do.

Photography: Toby Thyer