The is a

kei car Kei car is the smallest category of Japanese expressway-legal motor vehicles. The term ''kei'' is a shortening of , (kanji: ), which translates to English as "light vehicle" (). With restricted dimensions and engine specifications, owners ...

manufactured by the Japanese carmaker

Daihatsu is a Japanese automobile manufacturer headquartered in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. One of the oldest surviving Japanese internal combustion engine manufacturers, the company was known for building three-wheeled vehicles and off-road vehicle ...

. The Tanto Exe made its debut at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show and was launched on 24 December 2009. It was also sold by

Subaru is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first largest aut ...

as the , which was launched on 20 April 2010. It was based on the L375 series Tanto and designed to compete with models such as the

Honda Life The Honda Life is an automobile nameplate that was used on various kei car/city cars produced by Honda: passenger cars, microvans, and kei trucks. The first series of the nameplate was built between 1971 and 1974, with the nameplate revived in 1 ...

, Nissan Moco and

Suzuki Wagon R The is a kei car manufactured and marketed by Suzuki since 1993. The R in the name stands for Revolution and Relaxation. The Wagon R uses a "tall wagon" configuration to maximize cabin space within kei car dimensional restrictions. The Wag ...

. The Tanto Exe was more comfort-oriented than the standard Tanto which more oriented for a flexible seat arrangement and maximum interior space. The left sliding door had also been eliminated for a more common side-hinged doors that reduces the weight by . The Tanto Exe/Lucra Custom, a sports-oriented version of the Tanto Exe/Lucra with sports styling, was also available. The Tanto Exe/Lucra series was available in two engine options: a

naturally aspirated A naturally aspirated engine, also known as a normally aspirated engine, and abbreviated to N/A or NA, is an internal combustion engine in which air intake depends solely on atmospheric pressure and does not have forced induction through a turboc ...

658 cc '' KF-VE'' and a

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

658 cc '' KF-DET'' three-cylinder

petrol Gasoline (North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When formul ...

units mated to a

continuously variable transmission A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automated Transmission (mechanical device), transmission that can change through a continuous range of gear ratios, typically resulting in better fuel economy in gasoline applications. This contr ...

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...

models and 4-speed

automatic Automatic may refer to: Music Bands * Automatic (Australian band), Australian rock band * Automatic (American band), American rock band * The Automatic, a Welsh alternative rock band Albums * ''Automatic'' (Jack Bruce album), a 1983 el ...

unit on

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

models. The Tanto Exe series was discontinued on 2 October 2014, due to declining sales caused by the launch of the LA600 series Tanto a year earlier. The Lucra series followed it into retirement later, on 1 April 2015, due to changing tax consumption rules.

Gallery

File:Daihatsu Tanto Exe rear.jpg, Rear view File:Daihatsu Tanto Exe Custom G 0404.JPG, Tanto Exe Custom G (L455S) File:Daihatsu Tanto Exe Custom RS Turbo 4WD Rear 20130601.JPG, Tanto Exe Custom RS Turbo 4WD (L465S) File:Subaru LUCRA L (DBA-L455F) front.jpg, Subaru Lucra L (L455F) File:Subaru LUCRA CUSTOM R Limited (DBA-L455F) front.jpg, Lucra Custom R Limited (L455F) File:Daihatsu Tanto Exe Custom interior.jpg, Interior

References

External links

* * {{Daihatsu timeline Tanto Exe 2010s cars All-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 2009 Front-wheel-drive vehicles Hatchbacks Microvans Vehicles with CVT transmission