Daihatsu has submitted patent images of an unnamed sedan to the Indonesian Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP), which is under the country’s Ministry of Law and Human Rights. According to DGIP’s database, the application was filed by Osaka-based Daihatsu Motor Corporation (DMC) with application number A00202204663 and a publication date of December 28, 2022.
The designers of the Daihatsu sedan are Eishi Araki and Shun Ohoka, who bear a striking resemblance to the fourth-generation Toyota Vios that debuted in Thailand last August. Now built on the Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA) platform, the latest Vios has entered Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Brunei.
Depending on the market in which it is sold, the sedan is available with engines from the NR range, ranging in capacity from 1.2 to 1.5 liters, with either a five-speed manual or a CVT. It’s also bigger than its XP150 predecessor, and can be equipped nicely on higher-end models.
The discovery of the patent images does suggest that Daihatsu may offer a more affordable model than the Vios, although the automaker has not yet confirmed any such information, at least allegedly CNN Indonesia.
“This is a routine registration of vehicle copyright by the DMC,” Sri Agung Handayani, director of marketing and director of corporate planning and communications at Astra Daihatsu Motor, said in a report. “Currently, we do not have a plan.”
Toyota is the parent company of Daihatsu, which previewed the DN F-Sedan Concept for the AC100 Vios. So it wouldn’t be surprising if Daihatsu introduced its own sedan in the future. In fact, there are currently several Toyota and Daihatsu models that have a partnership in Indonesia, including the Rocky–Raize, Ayla–Agya, Sigra-Calya, Xenia–Avanza and Terios–Rush.
Perodua is another automaker that has worked closely with Daihatsu, and it is widely rumored that the Malaysian automaker will launch a B-segment sedan at some point. The Myvi we know here is sold as the Sirion in Indonesia, and if you look closely at the AC100 Vios, you’ll notice some familiar components we’ve reported on before.
This adds to speculation about the Perodua B-segment, but we’ll have to be patient for further developments, if any. Perodua has in the past announced its ambitions to become Daihatsu’s Asean R&D center and hinted at four unknown future DNGA-based models following the Ativa in a presentation two years ago. Would you welcome a more affordable Vios?