A limited Mira Moderno came badged with Sanrio's Hello Kitty in January 1998, aimed squarely at buyers who wanted a kei car with a cartoon cat on it.
Median 63 hp across 162 similar cars
Lead trim: ED-20 0.85 L three-cylinder fuel-injected (export, 42 PS) · up to 63 hp
Daihatsu Mira / Cuore L500/L501L500/L501 · 1994–1998
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Daihatsu Mira / Cuore L500/L501 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.
FactA limited Mira Moderno came badged with Sanrio's Hello Kitty in January 1998, aimed squarely at buyers who wanted a kei car with a cartoon cat on it.
Production of the L500 began in September 1994, with a look similar to the L200 (export L501 Cuore, Charade Centro in Australia, and made in Pakistan by Toyota Indus from 2000 to 2012 with the 41 PS ED-10). Japan added the Mira Moderno (non-commercial) in October 1995, the retro Mira Classic in August 1997 (40 PS naturally aspirated FWD, 55 PS with 4WD, or 64 PS turbo) and a January 1998 "Hello Kitty" Moderno with Sanrio. It was Daihatsu's first kei-class vehicle with a four-cylinder option, the JB-series (L502). Export cars got fuel injection as standard, lifting the 847 cc ED-20 to 42 PS, and a twin-cam 12-valve 847 cc ED-DE of 50 PS at 5,500 rpm followed in November 1996. Successor of the retro-look Classic was the Mira Gino on the L700.
Collectors Spotted in the Daihatsu Mira Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Daihatsu Mira 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ED-20 0.85 L three-cylinder fuel-injected (export, 42 PS) | 1994–1998 | 0.8 L Inline-3 | 41 hp | 49 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| ED-DE 0.85 L three-cylinder 12-valve DOHC (50 PS, from November 1996) | 1996–1998 | 0.8 L Inline-3 | 49 hp | 55 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| EF-JL 0.66 L three-cylinder 12-valve turbo (64 PS) | 1994–1998 | 0.7 L Inline-3 | 63 hp | 68 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
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.
Photographs
Daihatsu killed the Mira in 2018 not for slow sales but because it could no longer meet Japan's incoming crash standards.
A wheelchair-accessible Mira, driven straight out of a self-powered wheelchair through an automated door, stayed on sale until 2009.
The Mira TR's turbo engine was tuned to exactly 64 PS, the informal ceiling every Japanese kei-car maker agreed never to exceed.
A limited Mira Moderno came badged with Sanrio's Hello Kitty in January 1998, aimed squarely at buyers who wanted a kei car with a cartoon cat on it.
This Mira could be had with mechanical four-wheel steering, a feature no other kei car of its time offered.
Daihatsu built a pickup version of this Mira in Thailand that alone lifted the company's Thai sales by 50 percent.
The Mira launched as a straight replacement for the Max Cuore, yet enthusiasts still count it as the second-generation Cuore.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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