Introduction
The Daihatsu K-Open presented at Japan Mobility Show 2025 is the spiritual successor to the Daihatsu Copen, still a lightweight, small roadster maintaining kei-car dimensions and featuring a likely turbocharged 660 cc engine, but with rear-wheel drive. While the classic Copen came in both a kei 660 cc version and a “full-size” 1.3-liter variant for international markets, the K-Open returns to its kei roots, with talk at this stage focusing exclusively on the 660 cc unit, backed by an ambitious promise of even more “purist” driving sensations.
The Return of the Small Roadster: K-Open at Japan Mobility Show 2025
At Japan Mobility Show 2025, Daihatsu unveiled a model that warmed the hearts of small convertible fans, myself included: the K-Open: openly signaling continuity with the existing Copen. It’s a small, two-seater roadster with a soft top, rear-wheel drive, and an engine that fits within kei car regulations.
Daihatsu emphasizes that the K-Open is designed to deliver “emotions that only a kei car can provide”, light construction, compact dimensions, ease of handling, and a low barrier to entry for drivers wanting something more than an ordinary hatchback.
The K-Open appears on the Daihatsu stand as:
- A concept car, but one firmly “grounded in reality,” repeatedly called by media as “practically ready for production”
- A front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (FR) vehicle – a rarity in the kei class
- An evolution of the earlier Vision Copen concept from 2023, but returning to full compliance with kei dimensions (3,395 mm length, 1,475 mm width, exactly at the regulatory ceiling)