Because we have ASEAN assembled Daihatsu models, this Daihatsu Wake kei-car was not on the launch list.
The Daihatsu Wake is a light-weight mini wagon designed for the all family fun and outdoor recreation. First shown in early 2014 and then launched later that year, this is just one of the many compact and high quality vehicles that Japanese middle and lower middle class car buyers have to pick from.
With crowded cities and high fuel costs, these compact ‘boxes’ or kei-cars as they are known have good space, feature filled cabins and interesting functionality.
However, there are not offered for sale NEW in Malaysia due to import restrictions and some political issues.
Imagine it is arrived with a Perodua badge 4 to 5 years ago (it could also arrive with a Suzuki badge) and carried a price tag of ….. say RM75k? It would have been another best seller model for Perodua (since both a technology partners) and Daihatsu for sure.
Meanwhile, used units of the Wake (like its sibling, the Daihatsu Taft)can be imported in from Japan via a private importer (AP Holder) after one year on the road in Japan.
For ASEAN markets, these kei-cars are not offered for sale NEW for a few reasons, but lately more and more used Japanese registered and used models have been coming into Malaysia with AP importers.
As the trend for compact vehicle rise in Malaysia and budgets for large vehicles shrink, the kei-car business is going to rise as we have also seen with the luxury MPV segment. The Honda Spada and Toyota Voxy seem to gaining popularity against the Alphard and Vellfire.
Meanwhile, we recently spotted this used ‘Wake’ unit for sale and we thought it made good purchase sense for a small family that did not want a common vehicle yet had an average budget.
Meanwhile, this compact Daihatsu is equipped with Smart Assist II, which is an improved crash-avoidance assistance system, in an effort to provide greater reassurance and safety, while integrating the grade system for relatively lower pricing.
Step inside this tall cabin and the seats have wide-stretched legroom and headroom space for passengers.
The rear side compartment also provides an extensive cargo storage and increased loading capacity with a swinging open backdoor. The one-touch power sliding open low floor side doors provide an ease of comfort in entry and exit for passengers.
The front dashboard cockpit panel is equipped with all different kinds of terrific features like super ultra-violet and infra-red cut glass, super clean air filter, driver and passenger seat sun visor with vanity mirror, D-assist, reverse lock function, utility hook, multi-information display, and eco drive assist lighting.
The driving safety features include smart assist, collision avoidance support brake function, collision warning function, lane departure warning function, false start suppression control function, hill hold system, and miscarry off suppression control function.
Some of the extra-added safety features are anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), vehicle stability control, traction control, emergency stop signal, collision safety body, pedestrian injury mitigation body, SRS airbags, ISO-FIX Compatible Child Seat, and the front 3-point ELR seatbelt with pretension and force limiter.
Asking price is a sensible RM85,000 which is negotiable and we found a few units on sale in out local classifieds.
