Industry watchers thought the one-liter car was finished in Japan's tightening emissions era — then the Charade launched, became an overnight best-seller, and won Japan's Car of the Year for 1979.
Median 57 hp across 106 similar cars
Lead trim: CD 0.84 L three-cylinder G20 (Chile, 41 PS) · up to 54 hp
Daihatsu Charade G10/G20 first generationG10/G20 · 1977–1983
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Daihatsu Charade G10/G20 first generation yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactIndustry watchers thought the one-liter car was finished in Japan's tightening emissions era — then the Charade launched, became an overnight best-seller, and won Japan's Car of the Year for 1979.
Appeared in October 1977 (production November 1977–1983) as a front-wheel-drive five-door hatchback with a 993 cc all-aluminium three-cylinder CB20 at 50 PS (55 PS JIS in Japan), a surprise best-seller when tightening emissions rules had led observers to think the one-litre car dead, and Japan's 1979 Car of the Year. The three-door "Runabout", with two small circular opera windows, followed in the fall of 1978, the Series 2 with square headlights in October 1980; Daihatsu built 89,792 by the end of 1982. Chile's G20 (1978–84) used a downsleeved 843 cc CD three at 41 PS to fit a 1979 tariff break for cars under 850 cc, and was very popular in Latin America. At the 1981 Tokyo Motor Show Daihatsu showed a 1.0 L turbo concept, the Charade De Tomaso. Greece's Automeccanica built the Méhari-like Daihatsu Zebra (1981–85), and G10s won the 1979 Tour of Malaysia Rally 1–2 and the 2/1 class at the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally.
Collectors Spotted in the Daihatsu Charade Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Daihatsu Charade yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
3 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB20 1.0 L three-cylinder (50 PS) | 1977–1983 | 1.0 L Inline-3 | 49 hp | 54 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| CB20 1.0 L three-cylinder (Japan, 55 PS JIS) | 1977–1983 | 1.0 L Inline-3 | 54 hp | 57 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| CD 0.84 L three-cylinder G20 (Chile, 41 PS) | 1978–1983 | 0.8 L Inline-3 | 40 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
In the Community
Open CommunityNo notes tagged with the Daihatsu Charade G10/G20 first generation yet.
Photographs
Daihatsu's partnership with De Tomaso on this Charade's GTi produced 120,000 cars — big numbers for a budget hatchback collab.
The third-gen Charade GTti squeezed 105PS from a tiny 1.0-litre turbo — on par with much bigger 1.3-litre hot hatches of the era — and Daihatsu only ever sold it as a three-door.
This Charade's GT-XX punched well above its weight — in the 1993 Safari Rally it finished 5th, 6th and 7th overall against far bigger cars.
To prove its new diesel wouldn't quit, Daihatsu sent a Charade on 10 non-stop laps of the entire Japanese archipelago — a run that took 117 days.
Industry watchers thought the one-liter car was finished in Japan's tightening emissions era — then the Charade launched, became an overnight best-seller, and won Japan's Car of the Year for 1979.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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