Its blip on our radar screens may proportionately be
no larger than the tiny cars for which it is known, but Daihatsu has a long
history in the automotive industry, stretching way back to 1907.
That gives it quite a back catalog to draw on, and
draw it has with the small yet stylish DN Compagno concept, unveiled at the this year.
The concept draws on the Compagno that Daihatsu
produced in the 1960s based on a Vignale design and offered in coupe, cabrio,
sedan, van, and pickup forms. Four-door coupes weren't a thing at the time, but
they certainly are now. Only this one's a fair bit smaller than a Mercedes CLS
– or even a CLA.
It's joined on the Daihatsu stand at the Big Sight
convention center by the DN Trec and DN Multisix concepts, as well as the Boon
hatchback (shown here in a rather sporty guise). What our photographers on the
scene have yet to find is the quirky DN Pro Cargo concept we'd been expecting,
but we'll be keeping an eye out and update this post when it shows up.