Tokyo news: Daihatsu Deca Deca
Daihatsu surpassed itself with odd machines on its show stand in Tokyo, and the Deca Deca is the strangest of the lot.
What's all the fuss about?
An 'active toolbox for active people'. It might be easy to poke fun at the translation, but really it's very accurate indeed. This Deca Deca is Japan's answer to a super compact MPV mixed with living space, and it really does fulfil the definition of versatile. We struggled to get near it given all the people lovingly clambering over it, Daihatsu managing to squeeze quite ridiculous amounts of space into this boxy micro car.
Anything that stands out?
We thought the Basket alongside the Deca Deca was stand out until we spotted this funky, useful box. It's the first car we've ever been able to use the term 'French doors' on, because the Deca Deca opens up on one side to reveal a vast space that's either van or people carrier - or somewhere in between. A flat floor, extremely cool concept car-like finishing inside and the space for a 35-inch LCD monitor in 'studio' mode, the Deca Deca is the among the most interesting machines we've seen at the show.
When can I buy one?
We're not really sure. Like the Basket parked alongside it, the Deca Deca looks more like a concept than a proper production car. That said, we've seen some pretty wild machines on the roads here in Japan so we wouldn't be surprised if you can walk into a Daihatsu dealer here and get your hands on one. If that's the case, we're going to look into personal importation, as the Deca Deca is very cool indeed.
