Copenworld

Daihatsu has announced the 2019 Copen Coupe.

With limited production of just 200 cars, the new model has a fixed roof made from carbon fibre reinforced plastic and a rear glass hatch.

There are black and tan leather interior options.




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Toyota has now completed its full takeover of Daihatsu. The purchase was completed on August 1.

Toyota announced the plan to take full ownership of Daihatsu in January, in which it already had a 51 percent stake. The two companies formed a business partnership in 1967, and Daihatsu became a Toyota subsidiary in 1998.

Daihatsu will become the group’s core unit for small vehicle operations, and Toyota has signalled its intention to accelerate the development of small vehicles following the purchase.

Toyota aims to boost its share in emerging markets, especially India, where low-cost vehicles are popular. In the Indian market, Toyota’s share is only around 4 percent, while rival Suzuki holds 45 percent of the market.

Daihatsu, which relies on the Japanese market for 65 percent of its sales, wants to expand overseas, as the domestic market is expected to shrink due to an increasingly ageing population.

Daihatsu currently has only petrol vehicles in its lineup, but is looking to develop a mini-vehicle using Toyota’s hybrid technology. It also hopes to benefit from Toyota’s driverless and other cutting-edge technologies.​

An avatar is a small photo or picture that appears next to every message you post on the forums. It's a great way to personalise your messages, and it's easy to add one to your user account. Just follow these easy steps.

Make sure you're logged in, and then hover over or tap your username on the right-hand side of the menu bar at the top (on a mobile this may be shortened to just an icon). This will bring up your user menu:



Click on or tap the Avatar option and it will bring up the dialogue box for uploading your new avatar:



Click on the "Choose File" button, and you will then be able to upload a photo from your computer. On most modern mobiles, you can select a photo from your photo album, or take a new photo with your camera.

It might take a few moments to upload your new picture, then just click the "Okay" button and you're done!​

Toyota has announced that it will buy the rest of Daihatsu in an all-stock deal worth about $3 billion.

Toyota already owns about 51% of Daihatsu, and the deal is said to enable Daihatsu to more easily adopt next-generation technologies developed by Toyota.

"We see this as the perfect opportunity to cement our relationship with Toyota, and, by doing so, to embark on a new period of growth, and to elevate the Daihatsu brand to a global standard," Daihatsu said in a statement.

The deal is due to be completed by July 26.​

Take a look at Daihatsu's latest concept cars in this video taken at the Tokyo 2016 Auto Salon.

It includes new versions of the Copen, as well as other models.

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Daihatsu is all set to showcase some new Copen concept versions at Tokyo's 2016 Auto Salon, which runs from January 15.

Possible new styles include a Coupe, a Shooting Brake and an "Adventure" model.

We should learn more as show time approaches.



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For those of you in the northern hemisphere, take a look at this comprehensive and beautifully presented guide to preparing your Copen for the season ahead...
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Kei Kars In The Park has a popular annual event in the UK, and a number of Copenworld members usually attend.

This year's event is at the Heritage Motor Museum in Gaydon on September 27.

KKITP has grown year on year for the past 8 years. We have outgrown our patch at the water park.
So in 2015 we will join other classic car & modern car clubs, displaying our pride & joys.

There is no entry fee, giving access to the grounds, cafe & toilets. Those displaying will get a discount voucher for entry into the museum.

Pencil in the date in your new diaries!​

It's now easier to upload photos to Copenworld and share them in your forum messages.

On a desktop computer, you can simply drag and drop a photo into any message you are posting.

On a mobile, you can use the "Upload a File" button below your message. On most modern smart phones, this will allow you to either select a photo stored on your phone or take a new photo with your phone's camera.

Photos will be automatically resized to fit in your message.



Once your photo has uploaded, you'll see it attached below your message with options to choose either "Thumbnail" or "Full Image". If you choose Thumbnail, it will be attached to your message. If you choose Full Image, it will be embedded in the message. You can then drag it around to get it into the desired position within your text.

If you want to try it out, you can use our new "Test Messages" forum (at the very bottom of the list of forums).​