Following its silent debut at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, the Daihatsu Rocky has been finally announced. Along with the name confirmation, the pricing has been announced for Japan. The new small SUV is priced from JPY 22,00,000 (INR 14,450,35.61) onwards. For the uninitiated, it is the rebadged version of the Toyota Raize which was is priced from JPY 20,93,000 (13,747,54.34). Surprisingly, the Daihatsu model is more expensive than the Toyota SUV in this case. Usually it’s the opposite in case of Daihatsu and Toyota twin models.
Technically, the Daihatsu Rocky was introduced before the Toyota Raize, but the latter saw the commercial introduction first. Thus, the Daihatsu Rocky is the mechanical twin, theoretically.
The Daihatsu Rocky is based on Toyota’s flexible and low-cost DNGA platform. This platform has been designed specifically for developing markets like India. In terms of dimensions, the Daihatsu rocky measures 3,995 mm in length, 1,620 mm in width and 1,695 mm in height. It has a wheelbase of 2,525 mm and weighs just 980 kg (kerb).
The Daihatsu Rocky has a proper SUV stance. At the front, it features a hexagonal grille, wraparound trapezoidal headlamps and triangular housings for the fog lamps. Also, it features slim strips of LED daytime running lights placed adjacent to the fog lamps. Coming onto the back, it features a horizontally placed wraparound tail lamps with LED inserts. The tail lamps are joined by a thick black bar. On the lower side, the number plate recess is placed on the rear bumper which leaves space on the tailgate, giving it a cleaner look. Similar to the front, the rear bumper too has thick body cladding placed below it.
As for the mechanicals, the Daihatsu Rocky features a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine which delivers 99 PS of maximum power and 140 Nm of torque. The power is sent to the front axle.
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The Toyota Raize (Daihatsu Rocky's technical twin) will spawn an India-specific Toyota B-SUV which will be develeped in cooperation with Suzuki. It will rival the Hyundai Creta and the Kia Seltos.
