Daihatsu's Kyoto Factory Continues to Grow and Innovate Further

KatadataOTO – Daihatsu Factory in Japan has a total of five units located in four different locations. KatadataOTO had the opportunity to visit one of them at the Kyoto Oyamazaki Plant on October 27, 2025.

Standing on a 16-hectare plot of land, the vehicle production capacity reaches 230 thousand per year.

The factory contributes about 24 percent of the total production capacity of Daihatsu in Japan.

“There are two main models produced at the Kyoto factory for the Daihatsu and Toyota Group brands. The collaboration model Daihatsu Thor (Toyota Roomy and Subaru Justy) and also the Toyota Probox, a commercial vehicle for the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) market,” said Fukushima, Manager of the Daihatsu Kyoto Oyamazaki Plant, to the media crew.

Photo: KatadataOTO

Operating since 1973, this factory has produced more than 6.8 million car units over 50 years. In 2022, its facilities were rejuvenated to be more environmentally friendly.

Besides increasing competitiveness, the improvements also serve to increase productivity. It has also become more comfortable for employees.

Looking back, the factory once produced the Daihatsu Midget. In Indonesia, that model is better known as the Bemo and has become a legend.

Applying the SSC (Simple, Slim, and Compact) concept, the Kyoto Oyamazaki Plant has an excellent production system.

Besides high flexibility, operations are more efficient, concise, and can be adapted to customer needs.

Relying on hardware that can be adapted as times change, communication between employees has also improved.

As a result, it is able to minimize production defects. One example is the presence of tablets at each parts installation station.

Furthermore, the Daihatsu factory in Kyoto, Japan, also has better energy management. Such as painting technology that utilizes air conditioning reclining by dry booth.

All these developments are said to be able to reduce CO2 carbon emissions by up to 42 percent.