The Daihatsu Charade, while categorised as a supermini car, is referred to as a large compact car by its manufacturer. The paradox stems from the company’s bid to make a distinction between Charade and the Kei cars. The Charade comes in two sizes: sedan and hatchback.
History
The first Charade by Daihatsu was produced in 1977 and underwent four significant generational changes before the production ceased in 2000. Its Chinese counterpart Xiali entered the market in 1986 and remained till 2012.
First Generation (1977-1983)
The series 1 of the first generation (G10) Daihatsu Charade was a 5-door hatchback introduced to the market in October 1977. The all-aluminium three-cylinder front engine was 993 cc with a power of 37 kW. The car was a front-wheel drive. In the following year, the 3-door hatchback variety with opera windows entered the market. Quite surprisingly, Charade turned out to be a best-seller in Japan despite its small engine size and the strict emission policies in place at that time and went on to claim the Car of the Year title in 1979.
The powertrains available in Australia from 1980-1983:
(Hatchback) - 993cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (40 kW, 76 Nm)
(Hatchback) - 993cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 2-speed automatic transmission (40 kW, 76 Nm)
(Commercial/Duet) - 993cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 3-speed automatic transmission (36 kW, 72 Nm)
The series 2 of G10 came out in 1981 with square lights rather than the round ones in the earlier series.
While the rest of the world enjoyed the same Charade, the Chilean model (G20) came with a downgraded 843 cc engine with a power of 30 kW at 5500 rpm. In 1979, the Chilean government lowered the import tariffs on cars that had less than 850 cc engines. Thus, the G20 version was intentionally developed to enjoy lower import tariffs and hit the Chilean market in 1980. This version could run on ethanol and low-octane.
Greece was another country that, in addition to the regular Charade, developed a torpedo design off-road version called Citroen Mehari. This version was launched in 1981 and remained in production for four years until there was a change in the country’s tax laws that no longer allowed the car to be registered under the commercial vehicle category. Hence, the demand dwindled, and the production halted.
From 1977 to 1982, Daihatsu has produced 89,792 G10 and G20 Charades.
Second Generation (1983-1988)
The G11 or the second generation Daihatsu Charade rolled out in 1983 in both 3-door and 5-door hatchback varieties. The models came with the same three-cylinder 1.0 L engine capacity but different engine versions. The regular Charade engine was the usual 993 cc with 37-40 kW power and a sprint time of 13 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. The Japanese carmaker introduced a turbocharged engine with 50 kW power in 1984, as well as another turbo-diesel version. The Japanese models had two carburettors, while the lot manufactured for export had only one, producing much less power.
The Turbo Charade had the upgraded CB60 engine and became the first turbo car sold in Indonesia in 1986. A “Dolphin Roof” or “Van” version of the Charade was also available in the Japanese market, named after the high roof of the model. This version was also marketed and sold in Australia by the name Daihatsu Charade Duet. If you still have one of these and are looking for spare parts online or elsewhere within Australia to restore it, check out at Carpart.com.au.
Chile named this generation G21, and like the G20, it sported a smaller engine with three cylinders, 834cc and 30 kW power. Production for the Chilean model ran from 1985 to 1990.
The Daihatsu Charade G11 did more than just provide transportation in Europe. It paved the way for Innocenti Minitre. Moreover, Innocenti kept on using the G11 underpinning for as long as 1992.
Daihatsu, in collaboration with DeTomaso, developed a mid-engine prototype Charade in 1985 for the Tokyo Show. The car was to race in the World Rally Championship in cars under 1300cc category. However, several accidents in the rally called for a ban on the 926R project.
In 1983, Daihatsu launched the 5-door naturally-aspirated, high-roof Charade in South Africa, producing it until 1985.
For Australia, the powertrains available from 1984 to 1988 were:
(Commercial) – 993cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 3-speed automatic transmission (36kW, 72 Nm)
(Commercial) – 993cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (36kW, 72 Nm)
(Hatchback) - 993cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (38kW, 73 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 993cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 2-speed automatic transmission (37kW, 72 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 993cc T3-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (50kW, 106 Nm)
Third Generation (1988-1993)
The G100, like its predecessors, came in different styles and was introduced to the market in 1987. Sporting a CB23 three-cylinder, 1.0-litre engine with a carburettor, the car was available in diesel and turbo-diesel. The 1.3-litre version came with four cylinders and a hollow camshaft and crankshaft. Initially, only the three and 5-door hatchback versions were released, but later a 4-door sedan made it into the market as well. This model was named the Charade Social. Another variation, the TXF or CXF depending on the number of doors also hit the market. It was a 4WD with a 1.3 engine.
The powertrains available in Australia from 1988 to 1992 were:
(Hatchback) – 993cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (38kW, 76 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 993cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 3-speed automatic transmission (38kW, 76 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 993cc T3-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (50kW, 106 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 1295cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (66kW, 105 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 1295cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 3-speed automatic transmission (66kW, 105 Nm)
(Sedan) – 1295cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 3-speed automatic transmission (66kW, 105 Nm)
(Sedan) – 1295cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (66kW, 105 Nm)
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A 3-door turbo hatchback was also added to the variety later called GTti, the fastest 1.0L-engined car produced at the time. It sported a CB70 or CB80 1.0L fuel-injected turbo engine with 77 kW JIS. Other choices include a four-cylinder 1.3 HC-E, a four-cylinder 1.6 HD-E, and a three-cylinder CB90 (all fuel-injected). A GTxx version was also available, but it was mostly limited to Japan. It had the CB70 engine.
In the United States, the third-generation Charade did not do well because of many performance issues and was only available for the period 1988-1992. There were three different trims of the Daihatsu Charade offered: the CES with 1.0-litre 40 kW three-cylinder fuel injected CB90 engine and CLS and CLX with 1.3-litre SOHC four-cylinder fuel-injected HC-E engine.
Fourth Generation (1993-2000)
The fourth-generation Charade, G200 made it into the market in 1993 with the three-door hatchback version. The four-door sedan shortly followed after. Where the 1.0-litre engine disappeared from elsewhere owing to a shorter wheelbase in comparison to the bigger body, the 1.0 or the G202 remained in production in Australia and Brazil. Everywhere else, single overhead cam 1.3 or 1.5 engines replaced the 1.0 ones in the hatchback. The sedan had 1.5-litre engine with the 4WD option and engine codes in G213. There weren't any diesel models manufactured, unlike the previous models.
Daihatsu discontinued the GTti turbocharged version in favour of the GTi 1.6-litre 16-valve SOHC engine. It was named after Alessandro Detomaso in the local Japanese market and had 91 kW JIS engine. The export version, called the GTi only, has a 77 kW DIN engine.
Powertrains available in Australia from 1993 to 2000 were:
(Commercial) – 659cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (31kW, 51 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 659cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (31kW, 51 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 659cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 3-speed automatic transmission (31kW, 51 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 993cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (38kW, 75 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 993cc 3-cyl petrol engine, 3-speed automatic transmission (38kW, 76 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 1296cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (62kW, 105 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 1295cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 4-speed automatic transmission (62kW, 105 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 1295cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 3-speed automatic transmission (62kW, 105 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 1499cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (66kW, 119 Nm)
(Hatchback) – 1499cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 4-speed automatic transmission (66kW, 119 Nm)
(Sedan) – 1295cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 3-speed automatic transmission (66kW, 105 Nm)
(Sedan) – 1295cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (66kW, 105 Nm)
(Sedan) – 1499cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 4-speed automatic transmission (66kW, 119 Nm)
(Sedan) – 1499cc 4-cyl petrol engine, 5-speed manual gearbox (66kW, 119 Nm)
The fourth-generation Daihatsu Charade received a facelift in 1996 and stayed in the market until 2000 when Storia and Sirion replaced it.
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