Daihatsu Charade

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.

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.

First generation (G10, G20; 1977–1983)
The first generation (G10) appeared in October 1977. It was a front-engined front-wheel drive car, originally available only as a five-door hatchback, powered by a 993 cc three-cylinder, all-aluminum engine (CB20) with 50 PS. Japanese market cars claimed 55 PS JIS at 5,500 rpm. The three-door hatchback version ("Runabout"), introduced in the fall of 1978, received two small circular opera windows in the C-pillars. The Charade was a surprise best-seller in Japan, where ever tighter emissions standards had made many observers consider the one-litre car dead in the marketplace. The Charade became an overnight success and also became the Japanese "Car of the Year" for 1979.



The early G10 (Series 1) had round headlights and the later G10 (Series 2) had square headlights. The Series 2 was introduced in October 1980. Between the introduction in November 1977 and the end of production in December 1982, Daihatsu built 89,792 G10/G20 type Charades.

The Daihatsu Charade was very popular in Chile and some other Latin American countries during the 1970s and 1980s. Originally the same as in the rest of the world, later Chilean Charades (called G20s) came equipped with a downsleeved 843 cc version (CD) of Daihatsu's three-cylinder engine. This engine produced 41 PS at 5,500 rpm and has also appeared in export versions of the Daihatsu Hijet. The G20 appeared in 1980 and was developed as a result of a Chilean decision to lower import tariffs on cars with engines of less than 850 cc in May 1979.

The G20 was able to run on low-octane fuel or even ethanol. The first G20 version (1978–1981) had round headlights, while the second generation G20 (sold from 1981 to 1984) received the same facelift as did the G10, meaning square headlights and slightly different rear lights. The three-door "Runabout" retained the larger 1-liter CB20 engine, and also received a five-speed manual transmission and a tachometer.

At 1981 Tokyo Motor Show, Daihatsu displayed a 1-liter turbo car concept in collaboration with Italian exotic sport car maker De Tomaso Automobili. This car was based on the 3-door Charade XTE and known as the Charade De Tomaso. This idea was later applied for mass production on the second generation.

Greece
The Greek Automeccanica company, founded in 1979, developed an off-road style torpedo design version of the Charade à la the Citroën Méhari. With a metal body, the "Daihatsu Zebra" used Daihatsu mechanicals, grille and headlights, and many other Daihatsu parts. Production began in 1981 and continued until 1985, by which point changing Greek tax laws meant that this "fun car" could no longer be registered as a commercial vehicle and the market evaporated. The very first cars used the Series 1 round headlights; these were changed to the square Series 2 units before the first year of production had ended. Automeccanica also assembled regular Charades.

Competition
In 1979, two G10 Charades competed in the 2400-kilometre Tour of Malaysia Rally and finished first and second. The G10 continued its competitiveness by winning the 2/1 class at 1981 Monte Carlo Rally while finishing 28th overall (out of 263 participants). They also won their class at the 1982 Safari Rally, where they finished 17th out of 72 starting cars.

Uruguayan driver Guillermo Viera driving his Daihatsu Charade G10 with his brother Agustín Viera as copilot, had competed several times in the 19 Capitals Historic Rally of Uruguay. In 2011 they finished 41st in the overall rank, in 2012 they finished 18th, in 2014 they finished 9th, and in 2016 they finished second overall with a tight final difference with the winners of only two hundredths of a second after nearly 50 hours of competition. They were ranked seventh overall and first in its class at the 500 miles rally of Entre Ríos in 2011. They went on to win Category A in the Uruguayan Championship of Historical Tourism in 2013.

Second generation (G11/21/26/30; 1983–1988)
The second generation (G11) was released in March 1983, again as a three- or a five-door hatchback. It featured several new variations of the three-cylinder 1.0-litre engines, including a turbocharged version and naturally aspirated diesel or turbodiesel engines. The new 1.0-litre diesel engine "CL" was tested on 1 September 1983. To demonstrate the reliability of the new diesel engine, a Charade thus equipped was taken for 10 non-stop laps around the Japanese archipelago; the run lasted 117 days.

The turbo diesel first appeared in the fall of 1984. The base Charades received the naturally aspirated, three cylinder, 993 cc CB-series engines with 52 - 60 PS. 0 - 62 mph takes around 15–17 seconds. Japanese market models had twin carburettors as standard, while most export versions received a single unit which made marginally less power. This generation has drag coefficient of.

In Chile (and some other Latin American countries) this generation was called the G21, and like the G20 before it, it was equipped with the smaller 41 PS 843 cc three-cylinder "CD" engine. The G21 was sold between 1985 and 1990 approximately.

The Charade Turbo and Charade De Tomaso models had the upgraded 1.0-litre "CB" series engine, called the CB50 and CB60. The CB50 was fitted with a very small IHI turbocharger, which increased its power to 80 PS (JIS) in Japanese market cars or CB60 producing 68 PS (DIN) in European export models. The tiny turbocharger meant that an intercooler was not necessary. The suspension was lightly upgraded, with thicker anti-roll bars and slightly stiffer suspension, and the car also received alloy wheels rather than the standard steel items.

The turbo version was available in both bodystyles. Singaporean-market Charades received the same 60 and 80 PS (JIS) engines as used in Japan. The Indonesian-built 5-door Charades (CKD and still labelled with Japanese "J" code on the VIN instead of Indonesian "MF-MK" VIN code) also received the same engines as its neighbor, the turbo model appeared in July 1986 and also the first turbo car to go on sale in the country.

There were high roofed versions available in some markets, either with the three- or five-door bodywork. This was called the "Dolphin Roof" in Japan. The three-door model was also available in a Van model for commercial use, offered with the naturally aspirated diesel or petrol engines and fitted with the higher roof. Depending on market requirements, the Charade Van was also available with blanked rear windows. To escape quotas and some of the ADR strictures, the high-roof van version was sold in Australia as the Daihatsu Charade Duet in parallel with the passenger models.

The G11 was produced with two front end treatments: with square headlights (Series 1) and with rectangular "cat's eye" shaped headlights (Series 2). The facelift was first presented in the summer of 1985. In Europe, the G11 underbody and various engines and transmissions also formed the basis for the Innocenti Minitre after Innocenti's contract with British Leyland expired. The G11 underpinnings continued to be used by the Italian automaker until 1992. Aside from four- and five-speed manuals a two-speed automatic option called the "Daimatic" was also available.

In Australia the range began with the high roofed two-seater, three-door CC model, while the rest of the range (CS, CX, CX-A, and turbo CX-T) had five-door bodywork.

Taiwanese assembly began in 1983 or 1984. In 1987 they also presented a locally developed longer notchback version of the five-door, similar to the Subaru Tutto and Nissan March Cubic, sold as the Daihatsu Skywing. Developing a model locally also gained the assembler a three percent tax subsidy. In New Zealand, the naturally aspirated petrol model was assembled locally at General Motors' plant in Trentham. The Turbo was also sold there, imported fully built-up.

In October 1985, at the 26th Tokyo Motor Show, Daihatsu introduced the 926R, a prototype of a mid engine Charade, developed together with De Tomaso and designed to take part in the World Rally Championship for cars under 1,300 cc. With a 1.4 equivalence factor for forced induction engines, this meant that the downsized engine was classified as being of 1296.4 cc. The 926R had a mid-mounted 926 cc twelve valve, twin-cam, turbocharged three-cylinder "CE" engine, moving the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission and delivering 120 PS.

The 926R weighed 800 kg and had wider fenders to cover the 205/225 15" wheels. However, following significant crashes in the 1985 championship, Group B was banned and the 926R project was called off. There was also a limited homologation series of 200 units Charade 926 Turbo launched in November, equipped with the SOHC 6-valve version of the 926 cc engine and producing 73 PS (JIS).

For China, the G11 Charade was known as the Tianjin TJ730 as a CKD from 1986 to 1988. It was then replaced by the popular G100 Charade.

In South Africa, Alfa Romeo's local subsidiary assembled Daihatsu Charades beginning in March 1983. The only model available was the naturally aspirated petrol 1.0, with five doors and the high roof. Power is 60 PS, and either a four- or five-speed manual transmission was available. These Charades were also exported to Italy to circumvent Italian laws hindering the import of Japanese cars. South African assembly ended in late 1985, when Alfa Romeo closed down their South African subsidiary. The Charade represented nearly half of Alfa Romeo's South African production in 1985.

Competition
The second generation Daihatsu Charade did see some rally usage. Charades (both Turbos and normally aspirated cars) were entered in the 1984 through 1988 Safari Rallys. They won the A5 class and runner-up in A6 class in 1984. In 1985 they won both A3 and B5 categories. The Charades were finished at 13th, 14th and 19th overall out of 71 contestants, impressive for the little car. In 1986 and 1987 the Charades won the A5 class. The Swiss Daihatsu importer campaigned a Charade Turbo in their national Group A rally championship in 1985, with Florence L'Huillier as a driver.

Third generation (G100; 1987–1993)
The third generation of the Daihatsu Charade (G100) debuted in January 1987. With styling by Daihatsu chief stylist Hiroshi Aoki and colleague Hideyuki Ueda, the more rounded design was able to reach a drag coefficient of.

It originally shipped with a carbureted or fuel injected naturally aspirated (CB23/36/37/90) and turbocharged (CB51/61) SOHC 6-valve 1.0-litre three-cylinder engines, also available as a diesel and turbodiesel (CL series). In New Zealand, this generation was available with a 32 kW 846 cc ED10 three-cylinder engine. The little 1.0-litre diesel engine continued to be one of the most fuel efficient cars in the world at the time. At a steady 60 km/h, a Charade turbodiesel fitted with the five-speed manual transmission was capable of a claimed 36.5 km/L.

The turbocharged SOHC 6-valve 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine was discontinued in February 1988 (until mid 1989 for several export markets) and replaced with a 1.3-litre four-cylinder with single carburetor or fuel injection (HC-E/F). The four-cylinder was built with lightness in mind, featuring a hollow crankshaft and camshaft, and the weight of a four-cylinder car was no higher than a similarly equipped three-cylinder model.

Featuring fully independent suspension front and rear, either three-door or five-door hatchback body styles were originally offered. There was also a version with permanent four-wheel drive and the fuel injected 1.3-litre engine, called the TXF/CXF/Will (3/5-door, G112 chassis code). This version was also exported to a few countries, for example in Scandinavia and Switzerland.

A 1.0-litre twin-cam fuel injected intercooled turbo (CB70/80), named GTti and delivering 105 PS was later added, only available as a three-door hatch. There were two different sport models available (both with G100S-FMVZ model codes), the GTti and the GT-XX. Both versions are mechanically identical, but the GT-XX features many added luxury items. These include full bodykit, lightweight 14-inch speedline alloys, air-conditioning, power steering, one-touch electric window down, and electric sunroof. Some of these options were also available to buy as optional extras on the GTti. Side-skirts were also fitted to many GTtis, but in some countries they were only sold as a dealer optional extra.



The GT-XX is much rarer than the GTti, mainly being sold in Japan, although some were exported and sold in other countries in small numbers. All GT-XXs have engine code CB70, whereas GTtis can have CB70 or CB80, depending on the country and region sold. There are no known differences with the actual engine internals, all CB70s feature catalyst emissions control systems.

Even some CB80s for Europe featured the catalyst, although UK cars did not. There are more than likely slight differences between the CB70 and CB80 ECU mapping, with CB70 cars quoted as producing 105 PS compared to the CB80's 101 PS. This is probably down to the CB70 having the ignition timing mapped more advanced to suit the higher octane fuel used in Japan.

A slight facelift in February 1989 gave the cars smoother style rear lights and reflector panel, a slightly longer tailgate top spoiler, increased 70 mm length for hatchback (except for GTti/GT-XX), longer front blinkers (except for GTti/GT-XX) and a revised interior trim with fabric also on the door trim panels. A four-door sedan later expanded the range in April 1989, sold as the Charade Social in Japan. This generation was discontinued in 1993 for most markets, but the sedan version continued to be available in Japan until May 1994.

North America
The third-generation car was sold in the United States for just five years, from 1988 through 1992. The car sold poorly, despite construction "as tight as a frozen head bolt" and attractive styling for the market segment, perhaps because of its high price, few dealerships, rough-running three-cylinder, and low performance (0-60 mph in 15 seconds). Toyota, which had recently procured a controlling interest in Daihatsu, retired the Daihatsu brand in the US market after an abbreviated 1992 model year, but continued to provide existing Daihatsu customers after-sales support through to at least 2002. Only the three-door hatchbacks and four-door sedans were available.

The North American Charade appeared in three different trim levels until 1989; the CES (base model), CLS, and CLX. For 1988, only a 53 bhp, 1.0-litre three-cylinder, fuel injected engine called the CB90 was available. For 1989, the CLS and CLX also became available with the more powerful 1.3-litre four-cylinder SOHC 16-valve fuel injected, all-aluminum HC-E engine. This, along with the new availability of an automatic transmission and an expansion of dealerships, provided a useful boost to sales for the year.

For 1990, the trim levels were reduced to just two, the SE (base) and top trim package SX. The four-door sedan model was new for 1990. Four-cylinder models were available with a five-speed manual gearbox or a three-speed automatic transmission, while three-cylinder models were offered with the manual transmission only. From 1988 to 1991, only 43,590 Charades were sold in the US.

Australia
In the Australian market, the GTti was unavailable and the turbocharged petrol Charade used the lower powered carbureted engine (CB61) from the previous generation. Quite a few GTtis and GT-XXs have been imported from Japan and have a good following. In Australia, the third generation was assessed in the Used Car Safety Ratings as providing "worse than average" protection for its occupants in the event of a crash and the second generation was assessed as "significantly worse than average".

Taiwanese assembly
Taiwanese assembly of the G100 began in 1989, although the Skywing liftback version of the G11 continued to be sold into 1990. It continued until local assembler Yu Tian went bankrupt in 1996 in the midst of a financial scandal.

Indonesian assembly
Daihatsu's subsidiary in Indonesia, Astra Daihatsu Motor, that was also producing the G10 and G11 Charades for local market also producing the G100 Charade starting in 1987. Initially, it was only available as a 5-door hatchback with 60 PS carbureted 1.0-litre three-cylinder CB23 petrol engine from the previous generation with a single CX trim. This model did not have power windows, power steering, rear wiper, nor alloy wheels. In 1990, the 76 PS 1.3-litre four-cylinder engined Winner 5-door hatchback and Classy SG Saloon sedan appeared. Unlike the basic CX, both Winner and Classy has better equipments such as power windows, power steering, electric mirrors, rear wiper for hatchback and alloy wheels. The facelifted hatchback model appeared in 1991 and the sales were stopped in 1993.

Due the high popularity of sedan segment in Indonesia before the 2000s, the Classy sedan continued to be produced with the same carbureted 76 PS 1.3-litre HC-C four-cylinder engine. It was strange because the neighboring countries, such as Malaysia and Australia, received the more modern G200 Charade. In 1994, the Classy sedan received minor changes with the new honeycomb grill and small rear spoiler, sold as Classy Pro. In 1996, another minor changes with new dual tone colours and leather seats became available as Classy Royal until the production was stopped in 1998.

Competition
The G100 Charade had a limited albeit fairly successful rally career. Continuing its competitiveness in Safari Rally, it finished 2nd on its class or 12th overall behind Nissan March Turbo in 1988. It competed in the 1989 Lombard RAC Rally and finished at 4th place on its class or 32nd overall. In the 1990 Safari Rally, two Charade 1.3i models finished 1st and 2nd on its class, also 9th and 10th overall out of 59 contestants.

The GTti won another class honours in 1991 and 1992 Safari Rally and was able to mix it with some of the 2.0-litre cars and on occasion troubling some of the considerably more powerful 4WD cars. With the "turbo factor" increased to 1.7, the one-litre Charade was later forced into the same category as the 2.0-litre cars. The best result was in the 1993 Safari Rally, where Charade GT-XX models finished 5th, 6th, and 7th overall.

Fourth generation (G200; 1993–2000)
The fourth generation was introduced in January 1993, again with hatchback and (later) sedan bodies. The design was more conservative than that of the third generation model. Being somewhat larger than the predecessor, in spite of a marginally longer wheelbase, it was still very compact. Although the 1.0-litre engines were no longer offered in most markets, the 1.0L remained available in Australia and also in Brazil, where a lower tax rate for vehicles equipped with engines displacing less than 1.0 litres was in effect at the time, in the G202 Charade.

The G202 came equipped with the CB24 1.0-litre engine. The heads and emission hose layout differ from those of the earlier CB23. The SOHC 1.3-litre became the base motor instead for most markets. The sedan, introduced in 1994, featured a 1.5-litre engine with optional 4WD. The bigger engines were available with hatchback bodywork. The four-wheel drive models received the G213 chassis code, while front-wheel-drive models had codes in the G200 range.

The diesel models were dropped in all markets where they had previously been available. In Australia, the fourth generation was assessed in the Used Car Safety Ratings as providing "worse than average" protection for its occupants in the event of a crash and the second generation was assessed as "significantly worse than average".

The turbocharged GTti version was replaced by a more conventional GTi with an SOHC 16-valve 1.6-litre engine. In the Japanese domestic market this version was named in honour of an Argentinian ex-racing driver Alejandro de Tomaso (the previous owner of Innocenti, who had worked closely with Daihatsu), including a racing-derived camshaft, and was capable of 124 PS JIS in the Japanese market.

The export version, simply called "GTi", was detuned to 105 PS DIN. De Tomaso added their own bodykit, Recaro seats, a Nardi Torino steering wheel, and Pirelli sports tires. A total of 120,000 Charade GTis were produced following this joint effort.

The Charade was restyled in 1996, only two years after release. It now had a "smiley face" grille and changed headlights, looking more like its Toyota sibling, the Starlet. It was produced until 2000, when it was replaced by the Sirion and Storia.

Nameplate use with other vehicles
In Australia, the name had previously been used for the L500 series of the Daihatsu Mira, which was sold there as the Daihatsu Charade Centro between March 1995 and 1998.

In 2003, the Charade name was resurrected in Europe, Australia, and South Africa, on a rebadged version of the Daihatsu Mira (L250). It was positioned one market segment below its previous generations and was available as a three- or five-door hatchback with a 1.0-litre inline-four engine. It has since been discontinued in Australia in 2006, due to Toyota retiring the Daihatsu nameplate there. The L250 series of the Daihatsu Mira was produced for other markets until 2007.

From 2007, Daihatsu in South Africa offered the Daihatsu Mira (L275) as the Charade in that market. Production ended around 2011.

Between 2011 and 2013, Daihatsu Europe brought the Thai-built Toyota Yaris (XP90) on the market as the Daihatsu Charade. This was the last Charade model introduced under the Daihatsu nameplate in Europe.

Chinese copies and derivatives
The Tianjin Xiali TJ730, based on the G11 Charade was built by FAW Tianjin from knock-down kits from 1986 to 1988. It was then replaced by the Xiali TJ7100 and TJ7100U, which were both based on the G100 and G102, respectively. The hatchback commenced production in 1988, while the sedan arrived in October 1990 for the 1991 model year. Both variants were produced up to 1997 and 1999 respectively where facelifted versions with more modern Toyota engines were put into production. The Xiali N3 commenced production in 2004, was given a minor facelift for 2008, and was facelifted again in 2012, with production ending soon after. It, however, is still displayed on the Tianjin FAW website as of 2018.

Production for most versions ended in 2006. The TJ7101AU and TJ7141AU continued production and were also known as the Junya (Junior) (from 2005) and Shenya (Senior) (from 2003) and came equipped with the 1-litre Daihatsu-based TJ376QE three cylinder or a 1.4-litre engine known as the 4GB1 with four cylinders (from 2005 onwards). The Shenya and Junya were both given a facelift for 2006 and continued until production ended in 2011.

All Xiali-based Charades had a 4-speed manual on early models and later models with a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard. The Xiali brand was defunct in 2015.

The Xiali was also used a taxicab in Beijing throughout the 1980s and 1990s coloured in a red livery with Chinese characters in white, and the fare was 1.2 yuan per kilometer, lower than Citroën Fukang whose fare was 1.6 yuan per kilometer. The Xiali taxi was retired from the taxi market in February 2006 in an effort to cut down pollution where the Hyundai Elantra replaced it. It was also available as a taxicab in its home city, Tianjin and Shanxi.