Daihatsu Motor Co. announced the launch of its fully redesigned Mira, Move, and Terios Kid minicar models Tuesday in line with new Japanese regulations for minicars implemented at the beginning of the month.Daihatsu, a major minicar manufacturer based in Osaka, hopes to raise its current 25 percent share of the nation's minicar market to 27.8 percent by introducing the new models, which hit the market the same day, the firm said.To satisfy the new regulations, which call for more stringent safety standards, Daihatsu's new minicars were made 10 cm longer and 8 cm wider, the firm said. Also, each of the three models are equipped with a newly developed 659cc engine and a special system that automatically unlocks doors in the event of a collision.The Mira will be priced between 679,000 yen and 1,210,000 yen, and the company aims to sell 11,000 units of the model each month. The Move is priced between 920,000 yen and 1,380,000 yen and has a monthly sales target of 14,000 units.According to the company's estimate, the nearly 16 new minicar models expected to be introduced this month will stimulate the market to grow by 14 percent in the latter half of this business year, compared with the same period last year.Daihatsu became a subsidiary of Japan's top automaker, Toyota Motor Corp., after Toyota increased its stake in Daihatsu to 51.2 percent.
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