Daihatsu Charade History
Catalog record
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History
Launched in 1977, the Charade won the Japanese Car of the Year award in 1979 (the award's inaugural year) and confounded skeptics who doubted small one-litre cars could sell. Its combination of frugal engines, practical hatchback and sedan body styles, and honest dynamics made it a genuine success in Japan and across European export markets.
Four generations were produced between 1977 and 2000. The third generation (G100, 1987–1993) gained a performance following through turbocharged GTti variants and a rally connection — Daihatsu even built a mid-engine prototype, the Charade 926R, for World Rally Championship exploration. The Charade name also lived on in China, where licensed production as the Xiali continued well past 2009.
The Charade was succeeded in export markets by the Sirion (the international name for the Japanese-market Storia/Boon), with which it overlapped for a year at the end of its run.
Generations
First generation (G10/G20) · G10/G20
The original three-cylinder Charade; won Japan's first-ever Car of the Year in 1979.
1981 Photo: “Daihatsu Charade G20 1981 (54343924955)” by RL GNZLZ from Chile / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Second generation (G11) · G11
Revised with modern styling and expanded engine options, strengthening European export sales.
1984 Photo: “1984 Daihatsu Charade De Tomaso Turbo” by TTTNIS / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1985 Photo: “1985 Daihatsu Charade (G11) CX 5-door hatchback (2015-07-14) 01” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
1986 Photo: “1986 Daihatsu Charade G11 Turbo Front” by Tommi Nummelin / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1987 Photo: “1987-1993 Daihatsu Charade SX” by Yaktatel / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
Third generation (G100) · G100
The performance generation — home of the turbocharged GTti and the rally-inspired De Tomaso variant.
1988 Photo: “1988 Daihatsu Charade Will S” by TTTNIS / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1989 Photo: “1989 Daihatsu Charade 1.3i 16V TX 02” by Rutger van der Maar / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1990 Photo: “1990 Daihatsu Charade SX in Beige Metallic” by LukaCali / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1991 Photo: “1991 Daihatsu Charade 1.0 TS 3dr, front right, 08-06-2024” by Ethan Llamas / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1992 Photo: “Daihatsu Charade 1.0 TS 1992” by Captainmorlypogi1959 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1993 Photo: “1993 Daihatsu Charade (G100) TS 3-door hatchback (22166911308)” by Jeremy from Sydney, Australia / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Fourth generation (G200) · G200
The final Charade; a more rounded, grown-up subcompact before the Sirion took over.
1994 Photo: “1994 Daihatsu Charade Sedan (8094233630)” by free photos & art / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1996 Photo: “1996 Daihatsu Charade 1.3 front” by Rutger van der Maar / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2000 Photo: “2000 Daihatsu Charade GLXi 1.3 Front (1)” by Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Body styles
- Hatchback
- Sedan
- Van
Notable special editions & performance variants
Charade GTti
Turbocharged performance variant of the third-generation Charade — a hot subcompact with a three-cylinder turbo and sport suspension.
Charade De Tomaso
A collaboration with the Italian De Tomaso firm producing a higher-performance edition of the G100 Charade.
Related models
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