Daihatsu Vision Copen previews new rear-driven MX-5 rival

The new Daihatsu Vision Copen concept hints at the roadster breaking from its kei car roots and becoming a full-sized Mazda MX-5 rival.

Japan's kei rules bind cars to being no more than 3400m long and 1480mm wide and having an engine no larger than 660cc.

Yet the Vision Copen measures in at 3835mm long and 1695mm wide – slightly shorter and narrower than the current MX-5 – and packs a 1.3-litre powerplant.

Bar styling that apes the original Copen, the new model is an entirely different proposition, switching from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive.

Daihatsu is yet to provide detailed specifications for the new Copen’s engine, beyond its displacement, which is almost double the 660cc of the current Copen’s 63bhp turbocharged triple.

Nonetheless, the Japanese brand did confirm that the new engine is capable of running on carbon-neutral fuels, such as e-fuels.

Toyota, which took full control of Daihatsu in 2016, confirmed in June that it was working with “various partners” to trial e-fuels. It's exploring their use as a means of reducing the net carbon emissions from cars already on the road and in regions where neither hydrogen nor battery electrification is viable. 

E-fuels are claimed to be carbon-neutral because they're synthesised using carbon from the atmosphere, sourced by carbon-capture systems or by using waste biomass.

This initial removal of CO2 for their production is argued to offset that which they emit when combusted.