DAIHATSU ONE!

September 18, 2025

Introduction to Daihatsu’s Excellent, Interesting and Unique Cars!: Small, Playful, and Fun! Part 2

MONODUKURI and KOTODUKURI

  • EV
  • Mobility
  • SmallDelivery

The first article got great feedback (really?), so here comes Part 2!
“Introduction to Daihatsu’s Excellent, Interesting and Unique Cars!”

The first article got great feedback (really?), so here comes Part 2!
“Introduction to Daihatsu’s Excellent, Interesting and Unique Cars!”

Fun Partner and Colleague

This time, as is appropriate for the merchant city of Osaka, we’re exploring working vehicles!

A Special Vehicle Just for Newspaper Delivery? “DBC-1”

This one is a “serious” socially aware vehicle.
There is a bit of trivia ahead, sorry about that.

Look at this beauty!

The DBC-1 was unveiled in May 1970, with shipments started in February the next year. In Tokyo, they even held a parade for the first shipment! Compact and smooth, it handled narrow streets with ease. It had a cute face and big, round eyes.

It had a slightly goofy vibe, but also plenty of charm! Perhaps the designer at the time wanted people to enjoy their work and hoped the car would be loved by everyone. It definitely brought smiles to the city!

DBC-1 working hard on deliveries. Excerpt from a company newsletter published at the time

By the way, what does “DBC” stand for? D = “Daihatsu,” B = “Battery,” C = “Car,” plus another D from “Delivery.” As the name suggests, this was an EV for delivery use. Back then, the need for anti-pollution measures was becoming a big topic, so a zero-emission, quiet vehicle was perfect for early morning newspaper delivery in residential areas.

It was also the very first EV in Japan to be officially certified by the Ministry of Transport, attracting a lot of attention.

Pretty socially aware, right?

Perfect for narrow streets

Actually, the DBC-1 was designed to replace the three-wheeled Midget. By that time, the Midget had gone through several redesigns and gotten bigger, losing some of its original “small and nimble” charm. I found an old article that said that against this backdrop, the DBC-1 was also hoped to enable Daihatsu to return to its roots as a maker of working vehicles.

Getting bigger isn’t always progress. What makes a vehicle truly useful? What do customers really need? What unique value comes from being small? Seems like they were really thinking about these things back then. That is quite moving, isn’t it?

Excerpt from a company newsletter published at the time
A team of 15 members works day in and day out on developing and improving the DBC. They conduct experiments, analyze data, and improve components.
We can feel the teamwork and youthful energy here.
With big dreams, they continue striving forward.

Check Out the Video and Original Footage!

We’ve even dug up an old video of the DBC-1, so we’re sharing it here just for you!
Be sure to click and watch!

The footage is old, so the image quality isn’t great. Sorry about that!

Many More Daihatsu’s Excellent, Interesting and Unique Cars

There are some interesting cars out there!
They’re small, which makes them charming, playful, and so much fun! They’re definitely classic Daihatsu!

Brought to you by the self-proclaimed Daihatsu-TANKENTAI (Explorers)!
Stay tuned for the results of our next exploration!

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DAIHATSU ONE!

    DAIHATSU ONE!

    Open in-house magazine “DAIHATSU ONE!”
    Connecting all Daihatsu “Partners” inside and outside the company, in Japan and overseas

    “ONE” stands for:
    Open
    Network
    Empowerment
    It means: “to expand our network of people and organizations openly and think and act with empowerment.”

    Our editorial policy is to communicate in an honest, easy-to-understand, and enjoyable manner.
    We will shine a spotlight on each and every person (ONE) who works hard every day “to stay close to our customers and enrich their lives.”
    In the spirit of ONE Team, we will expand our circle of “Partners” to create a better in-house magazine.

    We aim to become beloved by customers, employees, and stakeholders by going beyond the boundaries of sites, job types, and positions to communicate, empathize with, and improve each other .

    Apa itu DAIHATSU ONE! ? (Indonesia)

    “DAIHATSU ONE!” adalah buletin internal terbuka
    Menghubungkan semua “Sahabat” Daihatsu, di dalam atau di luar perusahaan, di Jepang dan di luar Jepang.

    “ONE” merupakan singkatan dari fitur-fitur berikut:
    (Open) terbuka
    (Network) memperluas jaringan orang dan organisasi
    (Empowerment) berpikir dan bertindak secara mandiri

    Kebijakan editorial kami adalah menyampaikan informasi secara jujur, gampang dimengerti, dan menyenangkan.
    Kami akan fokus pada setiap individu (ONE) yang bekerja keras setiap hari untuk “tetap dekat dengan pelanggan dan memperkaya kehidupan mereka,” dan dengan semangat satu (ONE) tim, kami akan memperluas lingkaran “Sahabat” dan bekerja sama untuk membuat buletin perusahaan yang lebih baik.

    Tujuan kami berkomunikasi satu sama lain, saling berempati, dan saling memperbaiki dengan melampaui batasan lokasi, jenis pekerjaan, dan posisi, serta menjadi DAIHATSU yang dicintai oleh pelanggan, karyawan, dan para pemangku kepentingan.

    Apa itu DAIHATSU ONE! ? (Melayu)

    Surat berita dalaman terbuka “DAIHATSU ONE!”
    Menghubungkan semua “Rakan Kongsi” Daihatsu di dalam dan di luar syarikat, di Jepun dan luar negara

    “ONE” bermaksud:
    Open (Terbuka)
    Network (Rangkaian)
    Empowerment (Pemerkasaan)
    Ia bermaksud: “untuk mengembangkan rangkaian orang dan organisasi kami secara terbuka dan berfikir dan bertindak dengan pemerkasaan.”

    Dasar penyuntingan kami adalah untuk berkomunikasi dengan cara yang jujur, mudah difahami dan menyeronokkan.
    Kami akan menyorot perhatian kepada setiap orang (ONE) yang bekerja keras setiap hari “untuk kekal dekat dengan pelanggan kami dan memperkayakan kehidupan mereka.”
    Dengan semangat Pasukan ONE, kami akan mengembangkan kalangan “Rakan Kongsi” kami untuk mencipta majalah dalaman yang lebih baik.

    Kami berhasrat untuk menjadi “Daihatsu yang disayangi” oleh pelanggan, pekerja dan pihak berkepentingan dengan melangkaui sempadan tapak, jenis pekerjaan dan jawatan untuk berkomunikasi, berempati dan memperbaiki satu sama lain.