Daihatsu Motor Co., owned by Toyota, has begun selling two new commercial electric vehicles designed for deliveries to homes and businesses. The e-Hijet Cargo and premium e-Atrai, both kei lightweight models, mark Daihatsu's first mass-produced commercial EVs with a single-charge range of 257 kilometers.
Daihatsu Motor Co. started selling two new commercial electric vehicles on February 2. The e-Hijet Cargo and the more premium e-Atrai are kei lightweight models based on the gasoline-powered Hijet Cargo. They feature an EV system, including batteries and a power supply unit, jointly developed by Daihatsu, Toyota Motor Corp., and Suzuki Motor Corp.
The vehicles offer the same cargo space volume and maximum load of 350 kilograms as the conventional Hijet, with a driving range of 257 kilometers on a single charge—one of the longest for commercial kei vehicles. The e-Hijet Cargo is priced at ¥3.15 million, while the e-Atrai costs ¥3.47 million. Daihatsu aims to sell a total of 300 units per month, primarily for goods deliveries to homes and businesses.
At a press conference in Tokyo, Daihatsu President Masahiro Inoue said, “We have created a vehicle that combines the user-friendly features of the current Hijet model with the charm of an electric vehicle.”
The company had originally planned to introduce commercial kei EVs in fiscal 2023, but delayed the launch following a scandal in December 2023 involving falsified safety test results. In 2024, Honda Motor Co. launched its N-Van e:, and Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. are also offering commercial kei EVs.
The models will be supplied to Toyota and Suzuki under original equipment manufacturing arrangements, supporting the shift toward electrified commercial vehicles in Japan.
