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Daihatsu Motor Co Ltd has released the Move Canbus light car. It is targeted at single women aged around 30 and is the first light car equipped with the AFS (Adaptive Front-Light System), which changes the direction of the headlights in accordance with steering operations. It comes with two (right and left) sliding doors as in the case of the Tanto.
The price of the Move Canbus starts from 1,188,000 yen. Daihatsu aims to sell 5,000 units per month.
When planning the development of the vehicle, Daihatsu focused on the behaviors of women, who account for a large portion of the light car market. Especially, the company aims to change the lifestyle of single women who are around 30 years old and enjoying their life.
Moreover, the number of people living with their parents is increasing, and, as a result, cars are more frequently shared among family members. While targeting at women around 30 years old, Daihatsu aimed to develop a car that can be easily used by people of many generations.
Daihatsu has been focusing on selling cars targeted at men such as Wake and Cast. For women, it developed the Conte and Cocoa, but they were released in 2008 and 2009, respectively. On the other hand, Suzuki Motor Corp launched the third-generation Alto Lapin for women in June 2015 (See related article). Daihatsu aims to regain a share of the market for women's cars with the release of the Move Canbus.
The Move Canbus measures 3,395 (L) x 1,475 (W) x 1,655mm (H) and is 25mm higher than "Move" and 95mm lower than the Tanto. The wheelbase of the Move Canbus is 2,455mm, which is the same as those of the Move and Tanto. The maximum length of its luggage space (when the rear seats are moved forward) is 580mm, which is longer than those of the Move's and Tanto's luggage spaces.
For the power train of the Move Canbus, a 660cc water-cooled in-line three-cylinder engine was employed. The vehicle is expected to be driven in urban areas by women, and, therefore, only a naturally-aspirated (NA) engine is available for it. As a transmission, it comes with a CVT (continuously variable transmission). The maximum output and maximum torque of the vehicle are 38kW and 60N·m, respectively, which are the same as those of the Move and Tanto.
© Japan Today
19 Comments
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jazz350
In my opinion, this company makes the lousiest looking cars in Japan, their kei cars wobble all over the place with their high ground clearance and skinny tires. Do they ever undergo any safety tests at all?
albaleo
I was thinking the same. My first car in Japan back in the day was a Daihatsu van (Atrai). This model looks much the same in size and configuration. Ours was used for carting around the family and various junk. Performance sacrificed for space. What does the single 30 year-old need the space for? Maybe it's for the insurance sales ladies with all those free gifts and such to hand out.
HonestDictator
Anything that looks like a minivan shouldn't be marketed at single people.
3RENSHO
domtoidi
On earth it means that the engine will not have a turbocharger.
Gobshite
Fully reclining seats obviously:)
dharmadan
"The vehicle is expected to be driven in urban areas by women, and, therefore, only a naturally-aspirated (NA) engine is available for it."
What on earth does this nonsense mean?
Frederic Bastiat
I was intrigued by the introduction of the Hustler. But, Move Cannabis has a ring to it.
katsu78
It's pink. Well, salmon. That's how you know it's for women in their 30s and not in their teens.
domtoidi
The ads will probably feature 30 year-old women in an image that they wish they were - more slim, nicer clothes, more fashionable, probably swiping at her phone before she hops into her pink car with a smile. Maybe even a little white furry dog. And they'll have "screamers." You know, the models who look like they're screaming at something with wide eyes and wider smiles.
Yeah, that's the ticket. Screamers!
nath
i dont really get what makes this more targetted for women.. just looks like a normal car?
nath
I like that Japan has this sort of car - when you see them you know to pay attention because the people in them generally don't drive very well.
dharmadan
Single women aged around 30 are not a demographic that should be encouraged.
kickboard
Facts disagree with you. 62% of women 30 to 39 are married.
Sherman
There will be no shortage of customers as most women are single, divorced or separated in Japan.
katsu78
So, Daihatsu wants to change the lifestyle of people who are enjoying their life.
A bold strategy, to be sure.
Strangerland
Marketing 101. Figure out what your target demographic is, and market to that demographic. That gives the most value for the marketing money spent.
quiquejp
Why do they restrict the number of potential buyers by saying "it's for women" and why do cars for women have smiley faces on their front grill?