Daihatsu Hijet
JDM · Daihatsu
Daihatsu Hijet: The Kei Truck Sold Since 1960
The Daihatsu Hijet is a cab-over kei truck and microvan that Daihatsu has built since 1960. By November 2020, about 7.4 million had been sold in Japan.
The first Hijet, a kei truck from November 1960, had a 356 cc two-stroke engine making 17 PS and a top speed of 75 km/h (47 mph). The van followed in May 1961, and the cab-over layout arrived with a 1964 facelift. The Hijet grew as Japan's kei car rules changed, from 360 cc to 550 cc in 1976 and 660 cc for 1990. Daihatsu says the name was meant to suggest more performance than its other mini truck, the Midget.
In Japan it competes with the Honda Acty, Mitsubishi Minicab, Nissan Clipper, Subaru Sambar, and Suzuki Carry, the other kei trucks. The seventh generation, introduced in May 1986, was the only one sold new in the United States, as an off-road commercial vehicle competing with golf carts, electric carts, and three-wheeled light trucks. That generation also offered a supercharged 44 PS engine in the truck from May 1987.
The current Hijet Truck, the S500 series, arrived in September 2014, replacing a version that had run for 15 years. It is mid-engined, with rear-wheel drive or optional four-wheel drive and a 660 cc KF engine, and a CVT became available in December 2021. The Hijet Cargo van moved to a new generation that same month, and a battery-electric version was announced in May 2023, also sold as the Toyota Pixis Van and Suzuki e Every. Piaggio has built a version in Italy as the Porter since 1992.