Daihatsu Hijet History

The Hijet debuted in November 1960 as a kei truck, with an enclosed van variant following in May 1961 — making it Daihatsu's longest-running and most commercially important nameplate. Its cab-over layout maximises cargo space within Japan's kei dimensions.

Over ten generations spanning more than six decades, the Hijet has grown from a 356 cc, 17 PS micro-truck into a modern workhorse used for agriculture, construction, and last-mile delivery across Japan and, under the 25-year import exemption, increasingly in North America. In December 2010 the Hijet overtook the Suzuki Carry to become Japan's kei-truck sales leader for the first time in 39 years.