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Order books for the new Daihatsu Copen has been brim-filled with 4,000 orders - equivalent to just the sales target of six months. Two variants are on offer - a CVT automatic and a five-speed manual. 70 percent of buyers took up the former, with only 30 percent opting for the conventional stick shift. Under the hood of the new K-roadster is a 660cc turbocharged engine which produces 64bhp and 92Nm of torque. The new car keeps to its cutesy proportions and size, measuring 3,395mm in length, 1,475mm in width and standing at just 1,280mm. The best highlight of the new car has to be the customisable body panels, which allows owners to personalise a total of 11 parts on their own Copen, including the front hood, boot, front and rear bumpers, front and rear fenders, locker and fuel lid. It also comes with an electronically-operated two-piece folding hard top.

The Copen is a two-seater convertible for the man with a small budget. However, time is running out for this affordable little car as Daihatsu is ending its production in August after a 10 year run, due to poor sales in recent years. The beginning of the end for the Copen could have started in January 2011 when Daihatsu announced that it would withdraw the Copen from the European market due to the ongoing strength of the Japanese Yen. The Copen was launched in June 2002 and enjoyed its highest sales in 2003, moving 11,000 units in that year. However, sales declined to around 2000 cars in 2011. I feel that Daihatsu already made plans to withdraw the sales of the Copen a few years ago as no automaker would leave a model unchanged for a decade. The model was unveiled in 1999 at the Tokyo Motor Show as the Daihatsu Copen concept. It was originally designed with a 660 cc turbocharged engine in order to meet Japanese kei car regulations, but it also came with a more powerful 1.3 L engine for the other countries to meet the environmental emissions standards. According to SgCarMart, Jack Cars Enterprise is still offering the 660cc turbo Copen for sale. If you wish to get a unit, do act fast.

[extract] Daihatsu isn't a very popular choice for car buyers around here mainly due to the high COE figures and its focus at the small car segment of the market. The high COE in the 1600cc category means that buyers want better value for their money and that Daihatsu has to fight off a lot of other competitors and something I still do not agree with