Now that Honda seems to be reviving the Beat kei sports car in the form of the S660, to be shown to the public for the first time next month at the Tokyo Auto Show, Daihatsu has revealed that it will be also showing a small kei roadster with a retractable hardtop as well.
They’re calling it the Kopen, an obvious reference to the Copen kei car which went out of production in 2012 after a 13 year run. Two versions will be shown, the Kopen RMZ, a slick looking little roadster and the Kopen XMZ, which features matte grey body cladding for a more rugged look.
Both cars have the same dimensions: 3395mm (133.6 inches) length, 1475mm (58 inches) width and 1275mm (51 inches) height. They are powered with three-cylinder 660cc engines driving through a CVT with steering-wheel mounted “shifter” paddles.
The Honda won’t have any worries as to looks, that’s for sure.
This Kei revival is awesome. The Kopen is probably going to be FF, like the original Copen, not MR like the S660, and original Beat, but it’s still cool.
From what I hear the Japanese do not have children until they are older, if at all, which makes me wonder why most (almost all) of the Kei cars are boring two-box four-seaters.
Interior space matters in a country as tiny as Japan, and I know a lot of young Japanese people with families…
This thing would be awesome if it was AWD and had a little lift kit on it plus a little grille guard with some fog lights on it. Out here in the country alot of people with land buy used 4WD kei trucks and use them as big 4 wheelers with a cab and a heater, they’d buy the hell out of something like that as an alternative to a big side by side.
Folding hardtop, with no images of the hardtop in place. Od.
They have to save something to reveal at the Tokyo show. I just did an image search and I don’t think there are any public photos yet of the Kopen concept with the roof up.
I haven’t seen any pictures from Honda of the S660 with a roof of any kind either, so I think you’re right…
For a second I thought that I saw “Korean” in the title, given the styling.
Well the orange one looks a lot like the GT86 already. I think this is quite a step below the S660 in the styling department too. That cladding just looks silly, and isn’t in line with the mission of a small kei roadster.
And finally, we don’t need to worry about this one, because it won’t be sold in the US or Canada anyway.
Looks like the love child of an Evo X and a Mini Cooper Coupe’.
I’m with you and Russycle – I get an Evo + Element vibe.
Nice, but if I wanted that much cladding I’d buy an Element. Oh wait, I did. Still, that’s too much even for me, hope they tone it down, not that we’re likely to them over here.
Small, cute, fun, sporty… what’s not to like? Price it within reach of the Miata, and wow! A sports car with hybrid fuel economy and yet fun to drive (and no, the Prius is not fun to drive… or cute… or cool).
Nobody gnashes at CTV-only part? Well to be sure go-karts are pretty fun with CVT.