DAIHATSU:Motor Show

Maximizing the Small Car’s Natural Potential to Minimize Environmental Impact

Small cars are efficient in terms of both the natural resources used to make them and their fuel consumption. Emissions are low as well. Small cars are closest to the ideal solution to meet the demands of our modern age. In this spirit, Daihatsu's new manufacturing facility in Oita, now approaching completion, is a model of environmental friendliness. It incorporates state-of-the-art equipment and is aiming to obtain ISO 14001certification. Built on the coast, it will help greatly in shifting logistics from overland to marine transport, thereby dramatically cutting CO2 emissions from trucks. With innovations in vehicle technology, manufacturing, and logistics, Daihatsu is making an all-out effort to reduce environmental impact.

From Manufacturing to Shipping, Oita Plant Takes a Comprehensive Approach to Lightening Environmental Impact

Daihatsu's new plant faces Nakatsu Bay in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. Its industry-leading wastewater recycling rate minimizes both water use and wastewater output. Switching to water-based paint cuts VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions. Daihatsu is also eliminating direct landfill waste and minimizing noise. Taking advantage of its coastal location, about 85% of the plant's products will be shipped by sea, thereby drastically reducing the CO2 emitted by truck transport. The plant aims for coexistence with nature, on both a regional and global basis. It is a plant that goes all out to be considerate to the environment, a plant to be proud of in the 21st century. Operation is scheduled to start around year-end 2004. The main vehicle produced will be the new HIJET, including hybrid and CNG models.

Self-Regenerating Intelligent Catalyst & New Catalyst Early Activation System

Using original nanotechnology, Daihatsu combined a ceramic*1 with precious metal*2 at the atomic level, becoming the world's first to commercialize an "intelligent" catalyst converter that can regenerate its own precious metals. This new technology maintains highly effective emissions purifying performance, while reducing precious metal usage by about 70%. Amid increasing demand for precious metals, this technology is receiving high acclaim as the next-generation catalytic converter solution. Daihatsu has also succeeded in industrializing a "catalyst early activation system" that purifies exhaust emissions right after the engine starts up, by detecting ionic current within the cylinders and controlling ignition timing with high accuracy to maintain optimum combustion conditions.

*1:Perovskite *2:Palladium