(first posted 12/18/2015) “A what??” That response probably greeted quite a few of the 50,000 US consumers who bought Daihatsus during the 5 years when they were offered for sale here. The brand was never sold nationwide, never built up name recognition, and vanished before many people knew it existed at all. This particular car is a rare surviving example of a Rocky, Daihatsu’s mini-SUV that was sold from 1990 until the company’s 1992 withdrawl from the US market.
The Rocky was a good vehicle – well-built, reliable, and an excellent off-roader. However it was doomed from the start. Products from little-known companies always face an uphill battle at first, but the Rocky was hampered by a recession, a poorly planned sales strategy, and shifting consumer attitudes about what an SUV ought to be. Daihatsu was the last Japanese manufacturer to enter the US market, and became the first to leave; the Rocky’s story can serve as a textbook example of how not to introduce a new product line in America.
While Daihatsu may be unknown in the US, the company has a large global footprint. Founded in 1907, Daihatsu is Japan’s oldest carmaker, and by the 1980s sold vehicles in 133 countries. However, Daihatsu was atypical of most Japanese carmakers – it was one of Japan’s smallest carmakers, and was heavily dependent on both its domestic market (78% of sales) and on light truck sales (76%). That added up to a troubling mix as Japanese domestic sales slowed down throughout the 1980s, prompting other manufacturers to rely more heavily on export markets.
The huge US market was an irresistible draw for Daihatsu, and the decision to sell cars here was made over many years. Company officials watched the progress of other Asian newcomers to the US – namely Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Suzuki and Hyundai. All began selling cars stateside in the 1980s, and all had achieved a certain degree of success – or at least, none had given up yet.
Daihatsu’s 1988 entry into the US faced immediate headwinds. First, consumers were tiring of economy cars like Daihatsu’s planned mainstay, the Charade. Second, a recession in 1990 dampened new car sales across the board. But Daihatsu’s biggest problem was distribution: the company never sold cars nationwide.
Despite anticipating 750 dealers coast-to-coast, Daihatsu’s network peaked at about 250, and never extended into the Northeast or Midwest. That complicated advertising, making national ad campaigns impractical – Daihatsu never ran a network TV ad. Numerous press reviewers commented on Daihatsu’s “spotty dealer network.” Given that only 10% of Americans even recognized the company’s name (according to Daihatsu’s own research in 1989), this became a damaging situation.
The first US-market Daihatsu was the Charade, debuting in 1988 as a hatchback and adding a sedan in 1990. Unfortunately, buyers started turning to larger cars instead of subcompacts at around the same time. Despite some positive attributes, the Charade never distinguished itself enough to persuade many buyers to take a leap of faith on a company they had never heard of.
In addition to subcompacts, Daihatsu also bet on small SUVs – a type of vehicle with which the company had considerable experience (as a bonus, SUVs were exempt from Japanese import quotas). Since the mid-1970s, Daihatsu had produced small 4x4s, and the Rocky traces its lineage to the Daihatsu Taft (above), which bore more than a passing resemblance to Toyota’s Land Cruiser.
The Taft was replaced in 1984 by a vehicle that was called the Rugger in its home market, and Rocky most everywhere else. With a square, two-box design, the Rocky eschewed the traditional Jeep/Land Cruiser look for a then-contemporary 1980s approach. It was an updated version of this car that made it to US shores in 1990.
When Daihatsu was formulating its American sales strategy, particular attention was paid to Suzuki, whose Samurai achieved a quick following after its 1986 US introduction. The Samurai, a diminutive mini-jeep, achieved popularity not just among off-roaders, but also among city-dwellers and (often as 2nd or 3rd cars) well-off baby boomers. Buyers were attracted to its affordability and maneuverability, and they judged the bouncy, primitive Samurai to be fun.
Bad times, however, crashed down on the Samurai and on the mini-jeep market in general with a 1988 Consumer Reports article proclaiming the Samurai as a deathtrap due to its susceptibility to roll over in emergency maneuvers. Though many questioned Consumer Reports’ methodology, the article’s effect on buyers was chilling – Samurai sales plunged immediately, and consumers lost interest in vehicles that resembled it. The Rocky, which bore more than a slight similarity to the Suzuki, was introduced about a year later, while the rollover story was still fresh in people’s minds.
Daihatsu felt that one of the Rocky’s attributes in particular would blunt Consumer Reports’ impact – the Rocky’s wide track. Indeed, the Rocky did feature a wide track (57.9”), visually augmented by fender flares that made the tires almost resemble outriggers. Throughout the Rocky’s short life, ads touted it as having the widest track in its class.
The wide track, combined with generous ground clearance and an independent, double-wishbone front suspension provided Rocky with stability and impressive off-road capabilities. On-road, these features compensated somewhat for the Rocky’s diminutive 85.6” wheelbase.
Additionally, the Rocky was heavier and felt sturdier than most of its competition. According to road tests of its era, the Rocky did not exhibit the feeling of tippiness common to mini-jeeps, and was likely the best-riding vehicle in its class.
Power came from a 1.6-liter, 16-valve 4-cylinder engine producing 94-hp at 5,700 rpm – a competitive power plant, and one able to move the surprisingly heavy 2,800-lb. Rocky to 60 mph in about 12.5 seconds. Fuel economy was not a strong point, however. Very low gearing meant the Rocky turned 3,000 rpm at 55 mph, leading to both city & highway mileage of 23 mpg.
Rocky’s US introduction was not without some controversy. MGM/UA Films sued Daihatsu regarding the name “Rocky,” claiming it infringed on the company’s trademarked movie series. The lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money and an agreement that Daihatsu would never allude to Sylvester Stallone’s character in its marketing efforts. As a not-so-subtle reminder of the suit, some marketing materials throughout the Rocky’s lifespan conspicuously mentioned that the car was named for the Rocky Mountains.
Rockys came in two trim levels – the entry-level SE seen here, and a slightly better equipped SX. SE models came equipped with basic upholstery and painted metal interior door sills, and featured options such as a 4-speaker stereo, air conditioning, power steering, a tilt wheel, and an off-road package. The SX added upgraded interior trim and conveniences, plus more available options.
A soft top came standard on the SE, while a removable hardtop was optional on the SE and standard on the SX. 1990 Rocky list prices started at $10,987 for an SE soft top and rose to over $15,000 for a fully-loaded SX.
4wd came standard on all Rockys, though for 1990 the system consisted of manual locking hubs, long after auto-hubs became commonplace. No automatic transmission was offered. Such a combination guaranteed that folks looking for creature comforts in their SUVs would look elsewhere.
The Rocky’s closest competitors were the Geo Tracker / Suzuki Sidekick twins. Though priced similarly, the Rocky was about 6” longer than the Tracker, 4” wider and generally felt more substantial than the Tracker, Sidekick or Samurai.
But the small SUV market was changing, and the Rocky represented the old, rather than the new approach. Such vehicles gradually gained more car-like amenities and comforts, and merely hinted at (rather than focusing on) off-road capabilities. Conversely, the Rocky made no attempt to conceal its rough-hewn nature. That was part of its appeal, and ultimately part of its undoing.
Some of these shortcomings were addressed in subsequent years. More optional equipment was added over the Rocky’s 3-year US run, including power windows/locks, alloy wheels and auto-locking hubs. But these additions were not enough to compensate for a package that was not quite in keeping with the times.
In 1990, our featured vehicle’s year, Daihatsu America, Inc. sold only 4,354 Rockys (and 10,630 Charades), often at heavily discounted prices. Such low sales figures simply could not justify its parent company’s ongoing investment.
Daihatsu’s foray into the US market did not last long. In 1992, the company called it quits, after selling only about 50,000 vehicles. American consumers barely noticed Daihatsu’s departure; the company attained a miniscule 0.07% share of the US car market.
The Rocky was a good, well-built car, and a very capable off-roader. Upon its 1990 introduction, a US newspaper reviewer wrote:
“If the Rocky SE is representative of the machines Daihatsu has to offer,
the company is going to be doing business in America for a long, long time.”
24 months later, the company withdrew from the American market.
Many factors converged to thwart Daihatsu’s US plans: a poorly-timed recession, a limited model range, difficulty in launching a new brand without name recognition, fickle Japanese import quotas… the list goes on.
But most importantly for the Rocky was that the car was several years too late. Rustic and quirky mini-SUVs had their moment in the sun, but by 1990 the SUV market was becoming big business, with Explorers, Cherokees and the like pushing the market to new levels of mainstreamness. SUVs were becoming larger and more comfortable, with off-road capabilities taking a back seat to creature comforts.
Even smaller SUVs started adding amenities and eventually adding another set of doors. Within a few years of the Rocky’s US departure, new compact SUVs such as Toyota’s RAV4 and Honda’s CRV became sensational sales successes. Meanwhile, the Rocky faded further into obscurity. Simply put (and with apologies to MGM/UA), Daihatsu was TKO’d; it simply brought the wrong kind of equipment to the fight.
The Rocky’s story is a testimonial to the difficulties of breaking into the US car market. It was a good, solid vehicle, built by an experienced manufacturer, but doomed by circumstance and an imperfect sales strategy. It deserved at least a fighting chance.
Also sold as a Toyota and used the same 2.4litre diesel engine as the Hilux, Daihatsu has long been part of Toyota and has built all of Toyota’s Kei fleet.
Daihatsu also withdrew from the Australian market some years ago, even though they had a reasonable presence here.The Charade was a popular small car even with a 3 cylinder engine. The Rocky was also sold along with a smaller sibling the Firenza which was later replaced by the Terios. Not sure why they abandoned the Aussie market. They are still common sights today.
An ex GFs dad had a turbo Charade 3 banger it used the 3 cylinder diesel crankcase and bottom end it was a little screamer it replaced a V8 VB Commodore and was itself replaced by a TX3 turbo Laser, the old guy like his forced induction cars he previously had a TR3a with a Judson supercharger fitted, that was fast. NZ still has a Daihatsu presence and heaps of the earlier models of all descriptions ex JDM Rubbers and Rockies are reasonably common still as are the Toyota versions.
The way I heard it, Toyota didn’t want in-house competition for the Echo, so Daihatsu moved the Charade name to a smaller car, the Mira, when Toyota started selling the ugly-bug Echo here. That killed sales, so Toyota pulled the plug on Daihatsu here.
Or maybe they didn’t like Aussies doing things like this with them.
Bloody excellent article, Eric! I knew nothing about Daihatsu’s presence in America other than it was brief and they sold only two vehicles. This filled in a helluva lot of blanks.
Even if they had a more coherent marketing/distribution strategy, the company had nowhere to move to. Their main stock and trade has always been subcompacts, which fall out of favor in America with every bout of low gas prices. Their Applause was a little bigger than the Charade but they didn’t develop it and dragged out its life for years; by the end, it was smaller than most rivals. The Rocky was a dead-end, albeit a long-lived one. Frankly, I’m surprised they even bothered launching the brand in America. Even Suzuki had a more thorough lineup in the 90s: Swift, Esteem hatch + sedan + wagon, Sidekick.
Thanks!
I feel that Daihatsu would have been much more successful if they had started selling cars in the US five years earlier. At that time, there was still a growing marking for subcompacts, and they could have been at the leading edge of the SUV trend.
But another component to Daihatsu’s failure here were the complex Japanese import quotas. These were “voluntary” quotas imposed (with some arm-twisting) by the Japanese government starting in 1980. A total number of imports was set by Japan, and then allocated to individual companies. Of course, the “big 3” of Honda, Toyota and Nissan had a lot of say into how the #s were allocated, and Daihatsu — being the last and smallest — got the shaft. They were allocated only 17,000 units for their first year.
This virtually guaranteed failure, and was partly responsible for Daihatsu concentrating only on certain US regions. SUV’s like the Rocky were exempt, but ultimately, Daihatsu’s fate was probably decided in its first 2 years here anyway, and even if the Rocky was mildly successful, it may not have made a big difference by that point.
No personal experience with these, but I knew one or two people in college who had Charades. They didn’t have much of anything nice to say about them. People with old Civics were fond of them but Charade owners…not so much. I’m pretty sure that much like the Ford Aspire the name lending itself too easily to mockery did not help.
About that sale advertisement…that’s a weird price structure. The SE Hardtop lists for $15,731 with AC or $14,536 w/o AC while the SX Hardtop lists for $16,496 with AC but the price leader SX Hardtop lists for $14,371. That must have been a misprint unless there was somehow a stripper SX without a radio for less than the SE.
Daihatsu’s products have quite some presence in Asian market where smaller cars are popular, but I still can’t forget my childhood memories about how miserable Charade was. Design wise it was quite fresh with cool dashboard shape and joyful lines here and there, but the car itself was made with quite cheap materials with whopping fragility. The bottom car made in the US at the time would appear so superior by compare ( Cavalier in particular ) in terms of the craftsmanship, safety ( Charade is really fragile, but Daihatsu made something more fragile at the time ) and comfort. Panel gaps were quite smaller on Charade though. ( many local knock-offs weren’t so well screwed together on the other hand) Taking few rides in Daihatsu vehicles turned me off for most Japanese cars, just like how Chevrolet Citation did in the US market. The negative memories from Daihatsu vehicles could be deeper though, either because I was kind of young, or it was really bad, even to a 5 or 6yo boy at the time in the late ’90s finding Lada/Volgas not so unpleasant. ( back then I didn’t know Daihatsu brand itself, but I knew it was that thing. )
No matter how humble it was, magic happens on this car more or less. Daihatsu made a limousine version of the car for the Chinese market, where long-wheelbase sedans were appreciated. But I completely disagree about how they made it, because it is so odd. The height of the oddness is only achieved by Moskvitch 2142. ( Citroen, Ssangyong’s limousines were less crude by compare )
More important, the current owner of Volvo Cars and The London Taxi Company, Geely Group started their business by making copycats of the Daihatsu Charade. Their roots were so humble, as their initial products were questionable ( the body looked like a amateur restoration with too much bondo, plastic lights faded away at an alarming rate ), even for a fairly dated benchmark. They started making Charade copies around very late ’90s with carburetor version ( fuel-injection came a while after ), and the small business morphed the little hatchback into pickups, 5-door hatch with endless derivatives with very small output, almost like a group of college students for project. It all happened when second generation Buick Park Avenue was made ( and it doesn’t sound like that long time ago ) and somehow the humble company suddenly grew big enough to buy off Volvo Cars during the financial downturn, and it all started with crude copies of Charade. Geely added some British styling in some products promotions after grabbing the taxi maker too, and by this time Charade was almost a distant memory to Geely ( but probably for people living around here, the time goes much slower )
As for Daihatsu, it’s an odd name, and barely recognizable. Usually among all the common Daihatsu things, either knowing it as a Kei car/truck, or knowing they made quite few submarines and landing crafts. Probably for people knowing something about the history, the landing craft is what comes into mind for Daihatsu.
For Charade itself, it’s still in production somehow. Even though Geely gained quite a bit from the model, grew into a global company and ditched the platform, Daihatsu is still making those with many facelifts in China at least. Quite a nostalgic feeling when going through all that, and some pieces of Charade still somehow ended up near me, when I was told by an acquaintance a red Charade showed up in a self-serving junkyard in metro Detroit.
A rough, small, inexpensive, capable off road vehicle without creature comforts has no place in the 17 million vehicle US market.
What a sad statement.
As it turns out, sometimes people want more than an ATV with a top. Surprise, surprise.
We used to call our samurai a quad with heat.
Its not that at all. Those DO have a place, as evidenced by the Wrangler’s success. Trouble is, instead of making a bare bones vehicle and selling inexpensively, you can increase profits but fattening it up, dumbing it down, and stuffing it full of worthless doodads. For every buyer of a ‘real 4×4’ there are 15 soccer moms who will spend stupid money just to look cute in a CUV.
Excellent piece, this. You have explained to me for the first time why I never saw these around, which is that they were never sold in the midwest. Given that this area tends to lag the coast by 2 to 3 years in trends, this might have been the one place where these might have taken hold. Too bad. Also, I suspect that the lack of an automatic transmission was the kiss of death here.
And I want one. This is the kind of no-nonsense little billy goat I would want for an SUV.
Outstandingly researched and written piece, Eric, about a make and model I knew nothing about and saw maybe less than ten of in my entire life. Thank you. My experience with Daihatsu passenger cars is limited to having ridden in my college friend Leah’s Charade hatchback when it was already 8 or 9 years old. At the Country Club where I worked as a greenskeeper and landscaper in the 90’s, we used Daihatsu mini trucks around the complex.
I remember apart from typical Daihatsu trucks, several other companies imported similar vehicles for the similar purposes, like Changan Tiger. Then, IIHS did a crash test against the second smallest type truck–Ford Ranger.
And it looks like that’s it for those smaller trucks. However, IIHS mysteriously deleted the original crash test video, and it is only briefly mentioned.
Wow! Thank goodness we were driving these only around the gated golf community. Granted, there were still some golf club members who drove erratically, but a low-speed wreck in one of these would have been lights out!
I do have fond memories of driving these micro-trucks – it’s how I learned to drive a manual transmission.
Love the piece and the vehicle.
To me this is a great size for a 4X4, with two logical wheelbase options. Too bad it didn’t catch on and take advantage of updated Toyota corporate powertrains (at least in the US).
There do seem to be two wheelbase options based on the older model pictured, but I don’t think we ever got the LWB variant in the US market, did we?
The Daihatsu Charade 4 Door Sedan kind of reminds me of either a squared-off 1991-98 Toyota Tercel 4 Door Sedan or even an squared-off 2000-05 Toyota Echo 4 Door Sedan. I wouldn’t be surprise at all if ALL 3 were similar in size.
There’s still a couple of Rockys on the streets here, but I have not seen a Charade in sometime.
Very nice write-up.
Daihatsu pulled out of Europe a few years back. Since they’re partially owned (and controlled) by Toyota, they now focus pretty much only on kei cars and one class up. The competition for very small cars was just too intense in Europe, and the timing in the US was all wrong,but they wouldn’t have survived anyway.
I remember when the Daihatsu first debuted here in the USA. I was impressed with its different styling and how it was built. It’s an unforgivable shame that it didn’t stay on the market. Toyota and Nissan (Datsun) had to struggle to find a niche before they were able to succeed in the US market. I believe Daihatsu should’ve kept at it, instead of backing out. That’s the problem with so many new car companies. Instead of keeping at something, everytime they hit a bump in the road, they stop. In the words of Yoda: *”Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.”*
A coworker of mine had one of these. He put huge mileage on it, but relegated it to farm duty in the late ’90s due to an inability to get parts like brake components and bearings. The internet probably has made things much better now, but at the time he was outta luck.
The big Rocky model was popular in its days, since it was a cheaper alternative to a Nissan Patrol and Mitsubishi Pajero. It had the same towing capacity, a healthy 3,500 kg (7,700 lbs).
The engine was a 2.8 liter 4-cylinder turbo-intercooler diesel, 5 speed manual transmission. Around 100 hp, IIRC. They always had that nice “Scenicruiser” top, so you could recognize them from far. Most of them had a hard life, yet plenty of them can still be seen on (or off) the roads.
Mitsubishi produced a mini Pajero to compete in the Daihatsu price/size range.
Great article, thanks for educating me on a brand I knew nothing about. These never made it to Canada, so I’ve never seen one before. I’ve always wanted a Samurai for a bush buggy, but a Rocky looks even better.
These had to have been one of the last vehicles sold in the US with exposed metal on the inside of the door. That big warning sticker on the door seems excessive, I guess they had to remind people not to roll it like a Samurai.
Surprisingly, the stickers are not the “This Vehicle Can Roll Over” warning, but instead one of them explains how to jack up the car, and the other explains the 4wd system. You’d think someone could have found better locations for both, right??
Indeed, it looks awful. Had I bought one new I would have peeled them off immediately.
Suzuki Samurai’s still have a bit of a cult following among 4 wheelers, and as a result command some surprising prices. From what I’ve read here, the Rocky sounds to be as good or better. Are these sought after vehicles among 4 wheelers today?
No. The lack of any aftermarket support or even availablity of OEM parts pretty much ensured the slow march to obscurity. What sets the Sammy apart is live axles…thats what you want for offroading.
Parts can still be obtained at Daihatsu Rocky Parts Northwest. Most are used but they have many new parts directly from Daihatsu of Japan.
The 1.0 liter Daihatsu engine is still singing its 3-cylinder sound, in large numbers !
It’s in the Toyota Aygo A-segment car. Plus in the Peugeot 108 and Citroën C1, technically these are all the same. They look different now though, unlike the previous generation.
I checked Toyota’s website, the little engine is called the 1.0 VVT-i. Good for 69 hp, and a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) in the Aygo.
Young folks often buy these minis as their first new car. Cheap, economical and practical citycars. These make so much more sense than a Smart ForTwo.
Agreed those make much more sense than the ForTwo. I suppose these are one class below the Yaris? I do wonder why we don’t get one here as a member of the Scion family, instead of the very limited-appeal iQ.
Yes.
Aygo, A-segment (mini).
Yaris, B-segment (sub-compact).
Auris, C-segment (compact).
Avensis, D-segment (midsizer).
The iQ is not available anymore.
Saw quite a few of the Rocky’s in Southern California back when they were new. Old GF had an ’86 Samurai Hardtop that was a blast to off road. She bought it used, and it had a lift kit on it along with stock wheels, and it didn’t take a lot of effort going around sharp corners to feel the rear wheel start to lift. It even towed my ’70 C10 connected to my ’74 29ft Pioneer 5th wheel trailer a few blocks after the clutch expired on the Chevy. The wider track, more powerful engine and heavier body on the Rocky seems like it would have been quite an improvement over the under powered and tinny bodied Suzuki, except for maybe fuel economy. I seem to remember a story where a Charade purchased for next to nothing was Paul’s son’s short lived first car?
Found the write up. The car I was thinking of was a 2000 Daewoo Leganza. Do’h!
The SUV sold in the UK as the FourTrak was called the Rocky in the Caribbean market, while this car featured here was known as the Feroza. Daihatsu priced itself out of the local market a couple of years ago, with the Terios (also known as the Toyota Rush) going for about the same price as the much bigger Suzuki Grand Vitara and Kia Sportage/Hyundai Tucson. Those small SUVs were very sturdy vehicles, but Suzukis sold in larger numbers and that’s why they are a rare sight today. Of course, they also date back to the days when SUVs were honest to goodness work trucks and not the fashion statements they are today.
Thanks for clarifying that about the Feroza name.
Daihatsu’s worldwide naming strategy was very confusing, since each model was known my several different names globally, and they often overlapped.
I’d forgotten the Feroza badge but as usual NZ has all the variations of these vehicles
I liked these well enough when they came out. They looked much more ‘butch’ than the Samurai/Sidekick/Tracker and more solidly built. The fact that it had a removable hard targa panel whether the rest of the top was a hard or soft top was brilliance.
Ultimately, all of the not-a-Jeeps were laid to rest because for the same money or even LESS, you could get a bigger more powerful Wrangler. I priced out a 4.0L 5spd Wrangler in ’93 with the offroad package, a/c and not much else. It was something like $16K, whereas any of these little micro 4x4s except the Samurai could be nudging $20K..with less than half the motor. Going more carlike and chasing another market was the only way they stood a chance, since the Wrangler has outlasted ever direct competitor its ever had. At least here in N.A.
Foresters and the like love these, the Suzuki Jimny (since 1998). BOF, solid axles, selectable 2WD/4WD, high-low range gearing, 85 hp 1.3 liter gasoline engine. Light, small, cheap, capable.
The owner of the boat shop I worked at in the late ’80s bought a ’89 Charade. Dude was 6’2″ 275 lbs. And as owner of largest Mercury Outboard dealer west of the Mississippi, he could use $100 bills for TP. He also had a Renault 5 Turbo 2, (a fun little roller skate, drove it once) and a Ferrari Testarossa. Do not know how the Charade worked out for him as I took another job shortly after he bought it.
I really wanted one of these back in ’91. I remember a number of positive reviews at the time on build quality, off-road ability and ride. I remember as well the appeal of only having a manual with not auto option. Fun, tough, and cheap. Bonus points to knowing that they were really uncommon, and although polarizing I loved the slab-sided styling. No bs.
Alas, as Eric mentioned, there was NO dealer network in the Northeast. I waited, but finally gave up when they pulled out of the US. Oh well.
Great article. Very well researched and written.
I love the story around the IP naming issue with MGM/UA. I wonder what would happen if Suzuki were to introduce the ‘Swift’ today. Taylor Swift has recently applied for protection over the term ‘1989’. Kids these days…
I actually drove a Rocky for a day in January 1991, on my honeymoon. (25 years – gulp!). We were on St John, US Virgin Islands, and we decided we really needed to get out of town and take a drive. It was totally worth it, but a little hair-raising as the roads are hilly, narrow, and windy and it was a US spec (lhd)vehicle but the USVI still drive on the left. We made it out to the East End of St John, and found Shipwreck Landing, a very Caribbean beach side bar which was the perfect antidote to the homogeneity of the all-inclusive resort we were staying at.
A rare site here in mass, I can recall seeing 2 in my life.
In the uk this was the sportrak,its big brother the fourtrak.
We got them with the same nomenclature in Ireland. If I recall, the Fourtrak could be had with a 2.8-litre turbodiesel. Farmers loved them; used to see them very regularly though they seemed to have about a five-year lifespan when used for their purposes.
I always liked the square-rigged, honest looks of these, but I never knew the details of how and why they were not successful. The lack of an automatic option is a little betwildering…sounds like they deserved better though, and nice write-up!
Minor correction to the story:
“…but by 1990 the SUV market was becoming big business, with Explorers, Grand Cherokees and the like…”
The ZJ-series Grand Cherokee wasn’t on the market until 1993, a year after Daihatsu had left the US market. The XJ Cherokee, however, had been on sale since 1984 (and stayed in production until 2001), so that would have been a more likely competitive contribution to Daihatsu’s demise.
Quite true — it should have read “Cherokee” instead, so I changed the article to reflect this. Thanks.
Eu compre um Rocky que veio para o brasil em fortaleza
o meu um 1990 muito bom
mais aki no brasil nao tem peças para ele
quero saber como eu com sego o selo de originalidade do meu carro
Looking for a small 4WD to tow behind a 25′ Sprinter motorhome. Does anyone know if the Daihatsu Rocky van be flat towed?
Since Daihatsu was part of Toyota, I think it would have made sense to sell the Charade in the US as a new-generation Toyota Starlet.
I really liked these when they came out. Much more beefy and substantial than the rickety Suzkis…although I did prefer the Samurai’s solid front axle. These had the best top option too, with the removable hard cover over the front seats, and soft or hard top out back. They were still a bit rinky dink compared to the Amigo and especially the Wrangler though. Its sad to see these little cute utes which were fun and interesting and actually had some offroad chops go by the wayside for bland and homogenized CUVs which are just little minivans…
I’m from the Providence, RI area, so I’ve only ever seen one of these in my life – ironically at one of the Whole Foods Markets in Providence, around 2014. It had RI plates but obviously came from somewhere else and was remarkably rust-free.
On my recent trip to Ecuador I frankly didn’t notice any Rocky’s … there may have been plenty but we’re t sufficiently exotic to catch my eye. I did see quite a few Tafts, a model which I suspected was a pre-Rocky Daihatsu, but since they didn’t seem to have any logo or branding, they remained unknown to me until I saw this re-post. Good timing. Here’s a nice one posing curbside in Cuenca two weeks ago.
The visual design stands the test of time alot better than say an old crv.
Atleast to my eyes.
1990 Diahatsu Rocky SX. Runs and drives A-1.
I owned a Daihatsu Rocky. I upgraded to it after a few years with a Suzuki Samurai. I loved the little 4×4 and had a great time offroad with it. I traded it in for a Sonoma PU 4×4, however, once waiting for parts became an issue. I have fond memories of the Rocky. (Not so much the Suzuki.)