Despite the Move name, the Daihatsu Move Canbus doesn’t really share any connections with the former donor car to the Perodua Kenari. Indeed, the Move Canbus shares more similarities with the tall-looking Daihatsu Tanto.
With that little anecdote out of the way, the Move Canbus is a kei car that is only offered in Japan. Yet our Indonesian colleagues at AutoFun.id have found official design patents of the quirky Japanese in the republic’s official industrial news report that was published on 22-November 2022.
Every so often, the Indonesian Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DJKI) under the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (HAM) would publish a report on some IPs and designs that were given approval by the ministry and the Move Canbus is one of those design patents that was just approved.
According to the document, Daihatsu Motor Co. Ltd of Japan filed for the patent in Indonesia on 27-October 2022. It also lists the names of the designers of the Move Canbus – Manabu Fukuda and Noriaki Kawai.
1st-gen Move Canbus shown, the newer generation has a less cheery grin
The Move Canbus made its debut in Japan in 2016 and was mainly targeted at female drivers. The Canbus name is a combination of “can” to demonstrate its versatility and “bus” which is seen in the design that is inspired by the famous Volkswagen Type 1 “Bus”.
The second generation of the Move Canbus is introduced in July 2022 and built on the DNGA-A platform. You might be familiar with the name as it is shared with many other Daihatsu kei cars as well as the quadruplet of the Daihatsu Rocky/Toyota Raize//Subaru Rex.
The Move Canbus is offered with two different design trims; Stripes which is offered with a unique VW Bus-inspired two-tone paintjob and Theory which is only offered with a monotone colour.
Speaking of trims, Daihatsu offers plenty of customisation options for the Move Canbus including 14-inch Minilite wheels, a roof rack, and a Mickey Mouse interior makeover for those who love the shirtless rodent with yellow shoes.
Being a kei car, the Move Canbus is powered by either a naturally-aspirated (52 PS/60 Nm) or turbocharged (64 PS/100 Nm) 660-cc 3-pot engine. The tiny unit is paired with a CVT automatic transmission that either drives the front or all 4 wheels.
It’s no speedy transporter but the Move Canbus has practicality written all over it. If the tall design and hands-free powered sliding doors aren’t telling enough, then step inside the lil’ bus.
There are storage hooks, a storage box below the rear seats dubbed ‘okiraku’ box, plenty of cubby compartments on the dash, below the boot floor, and in the centre armrest as well as a wireless charger on the dashboard.
Though the Move Canbus is dimunitive, like many modern Japanese cars, it’s packed with active safety features. There are 17 active safety functions offered under the Daihatsu Smart Assist ADAS suite including all-speed adaptive cruise control (ACC), self-parking, lane-departure assist, and autonomous emergency braking.
The Move Canbus is priced between JPY 1,496,000 to 1,793,000 (~RM 48k-58k) but how likely would it be introduced in Indonesia? Well, the registration of design patents does not necessarily guarantee that it would be sold in the country but Daihatsu has a history of offering kei cars in the archipelago before.
The LA400 Daihatsu Copen was sold in Indonesia between 2015 and 2019. Fully imported (CBU) from Japan, Indonesia remains the only market outside Japan to offer the second-generation Copen albeit in very limited numbers.
It was priced at IDR 500 million (~RM 142k) when new and remained a niche model in the country. If the Move Canbus does make its way to Indonesia, it wouldn’t be affordable despite being smaller than a Toyota Ayla/Daihatsu Agya/Perodua Axia.
Keyword: Daihatsu Move Canbus patents registered in Indonesia, arriving there soon?