Who Owns Daihatsu & Where Are Its Mini Trucks Manufactured?

If you’re around kei cars and kei trucks enough, you will have undoubtedly seen a Daihatsu of some flavor, with speedy little trucks like the HiJet being popular both in its home market and in the States as a cool little import. Modern-day Daihatsu, however, doesn’t operate in the United States and really only sells new cars, trucks, and SUVs in Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Even then, just about all of its Malaysian and Indonesian market consists of non-kei crossovers and sedans.

Daihatsu’s limited market is certainly unusual in a world where just about every automaker has a global presence. The company didn’t take on the “Daihatsu” name until 1951, and can trace its origins to Hatsudoki Seizo Co., Ltd., an engine manufacturer established in 1907. In 1998, Toyota bought a majority stake in the company and eventually became the sole owner in 2016, turning Daihatsu into one of the many car brands it owns.

Given the company’s Japanese roots, it’s no wonder that three of Daihatsu’s major plants are in Japan as well. It has two plants in Oita Prefecture, plus one in Fukuoka. The HiJet trucks, vans, and utility vehicles that we all know and love are assembled in the Oita plants. 

HiJets of all shapes and sizes are assembled in the Oita plants, which handle all of the stamping, interior assembly, welding, and painting. The engines, however, start life at the Fukuoka factory (also called the Karume Plant). This is where all the casting and machining that go into engine production take place. Despite only having a handful of domestic plants, the company still built an impressive 534,969 mini-vehicles for the Japanese market in 2025. Toyota’s financial and logistical backing may, of course, play a part in this efficiency.

The Daihatsu HiJet, most recently updated in June 2026, is available with either a manual transmission or a CVT, as a turbocharged or naturally aspirated model, and in rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive — it’s certainly a flexible vehicle for a wide array of applications. Daihatsu’s Japanese factories only build domestic vehicles, and the automaker’s Malaysian and Indonesian efforts are served by factories in those countries.