Five-year warranty for all Daihatsus

All Daihatsus will now come with a five-year unlimited mileage warranty following a successful trial on the Terios mini-SUV and Sirion five-door supermini.

Introduced on these two models this January, the initiative has proved such a success that Daihatsu has enjoyed a 38 per cent sales increase year-to-date.

March registrations were especially strong and showed a 56 per cent growth compared to 2007.

Now, both the Copen sportscar and Materia mini-MPV will also come with five years’ unlimited mileage warranty plus five years’ UK roadside recovery. The offer is not transferable and applies to all retail sales. It runs until the end of the year when it will be reviewed.

In addition, the Materia enjoys a £500 price cut until the end of June, bringing it down to £10,495 for the 1.5 litre manual and £11,295 for the automatic.

One of the UK’s most distinctive mini-MPVs, the Vauxhall Meriva-sized Materia boasts funky, boxy styling, outstanding interior space and exceptional equipment levels.

Meanwhile, thanks to the introduction of a new 1.3 litre engine last year plus a £2,500 price cut, the cute and curvy Copen is enjoying an enthusiastic following with supplies still not keeping up with demand.

Adored for its timeless curvy styling and effortless electric metal folding roof, the revised Copen costs £11,495 on-the-road.

This is despite having alloy wheels, air-conditioning, remote central-locking, radio/CD player, boot spoiler and many more standard features.

The award-winning Terios 1.5 S costs £12,995 on-the-road despite a high standard specification which includes air-conditioning, power-steering, ABS with EBD and full-time four-wheel drive with electronic centre diff-lock.

Also standard on the Terios are driver, passenger and side airbags, radio/CD player, four electric windows and even reverse parking sensors.

Being considerably larger than the previous Terios – and boasting a generous 380 litre capacity boot – the Daihatsu flagship also has three rear-seat three-point seat-belts.

The Terios was voted a ‘4x4 Of The Year’ winner for the second year running by 4x4 magazine. It now holds the title of: ‘Budget Class Winner – 2008’.

Finally, the popular Sirion supermini – which enjoyed a 54 per cent sales increase in 2007 – is Daihatsu’s lowest-priced model at £7,995 on-the-road.

The ’08 Sirion range of 1.0, 1.3 litre – and now 1.5 hatchbacks have generous equipment which includes air-conditioning, ABS with EBD, driver, passenger and side airbags, radio/CD player, four electric windows and remote central-locking.

The Sirion also has outstanding fuel economy, recording 64.2 mpg on the Extra Urban Cycle for the 1.0 litre version which also has an ultra-low CO2 of 118 g/km.

This results in a £35 per year Road Fund Licence and potential to be ‘Congestion Charge-free’ under new proposals for London which come into effect in October.

Commenting on the five-year warranty initiative, Paul Tunnicliffe, Managing Director of Daihatsu Vehicle Distributors Limited, said: “With recent fuel price increases and wider public concern about global warming, our cars have never made more sense.

“Daihatsus offer outstandingly low running costs and have an enviable reputation for reliability and approachable, friendly dealers. Now that all models enjoy a five-year warranty we can continue our steady sales growth.”