Actually it looks nice. Very Retro (An oxymoron word for the Japanese carmarkers that refuse to "stick" to tradition when it comes to cars) but to my eye it looks more like a copy of the Audi TT roadster than a MINI. It has some classic Porsche lines in it.


Pretty refreshing to see a decently designed car from Japan, inc. These days their car designers seem to be obssesed with "Anime" comic characters and boxes on four wheels with zero sense of style and good taste.


Oh Daihatsu!...They left the American soil almost 10 years ago. Lousy products and poor dealer network. They were no competition not even to Suzuki.

Remember the late 1980's Daihatsu Charade CSX, touted as the first ever "Premium" small car in America?

Or the funky looking Daihatsu Rocky small 4X4, that competed with the also gone and controversial Suzuki Samurai?

 

My daughter just returned from a trip to Japan, and she said that they had the weirdest cars in the world there. All tiny little things that seated four, but looked like 2 feet of length had been cut out somewhere. With expensive gas, 26 million people in one city (Tokyo) and narrow streets with parking space at a premium, plus right hand drive, there were lots of "old Mini's," as well as strange micro sized new vehicles. Of course these are not designed to cruise U.S. highways, hold six footers, luggage and have a range of 300 miles. A modern Fiat Topolino is still a 600cc car.

 

Gotta love the new 2005 VW Golf GTI as well...

 

those seats look madly uncomfortable, but it's a good concept... almost evil looking.
i will be very happy when small cars outnumber suvs.