If you’re in Japan, you can still get this tiny little roadster called the Daihatsu Copen and its sportier version called the Copen GR Sport, with prices starting at JPY 1,983,300 and JPY 2,501,400 ($12,878 and $16,240), respectively. The Honda S660, nicknamed “baby NSX”, is another such cutie, and even better since it is rear-wheel-drive. But sadly, Honda stopped production of the S660 in 2022, and the prices of these in the used market have naturally skyrocketed. The production of the Copen is also expected to end sometime in mid-2026, but don’t be sad, since a successor is in the works.
The name of the successor is Daihatsu K-Open, and it’s not just the name that is different this time. Since the K-Open will be built on a different platform, it’ll have a rear-wheel-drive setup, which I think doubles the appeal of this tiny little roadster. As for the design, MINI-ish vibes are rather strong, as was the case with the Vision Copen concept we saw in 2023. But either way, if launched globally, I think this would be a great success.
No further details are available at the moment. The Vision Copen concept of 2023 packed a 1.3-litre 4-cylinder carbon-neutral (CN) engine (capable of running on liquid hydrogen). However, the production model is likely to pack the usual 660 cc 3-cylinder turbo petrol with automatic and manual options for the Japanese market. If launched in other markets, you can expect a larger engine.
Since the current model (Copen) will continue to be sold at least until mid-2026, the successor may not arrive until early 2027.
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