Daihatsu targets 1.7 million Motability customers

Compact car specialist, Daihatsu, is targeting the 1.7 million people who qualify for a Motability allowance with some of the lowest-cost cars available in the UK.

No fewer than 15 Daihatsus are now offered for no advanced payment and a staggering 19 for those who qualify for a War Pension.

And with models like the 1.0 litre Charade city car set at one of the lowest monthly payments, Daihatsu is confident of a strong following among the disabled.

In fact, the Charade 1.0 EL three-door, for example, is offered for £37.34 per week. As the maximum Motability allowance is £42.30, this leaves the customer with a small cash surplus.

All contracts are for three years and include full insurance cover, servicing and maintenance. So far, 50 dealers are participating in the scheme.

Specific models available for zero advanced payment include all manual and automatic Charades and the manual Sirion 1.0 S and Sirion 1.0 SE with metallic paint.

Daihatsu Operations Director, Paul Hegarty, said: "Our cars are perfect for Motability customers, offering extremely low running costs including exceptional fuel economy.

"In addition, entry and exit is very good for those with limited mobility with the Charade, for example, having tall doors which open to 90 degrees and seats close to hip-height.
"Motability is a huge market with 1.7 million people qualifying for the allowance and 420,000 active customers. This equates to one in 15 of all new cars sold in the UK going to Motability customers. Daihatsu is confident of capturing a lucrative slice of this market."

The Daihatsu range starts with the Charade 1.0 EL three-door. Offering 68.9 mpg on the Extra Urban Cycle and ultra-low exhaust emissions of 114 g/km, the Charade combines excellent space and manoeuvrability plus big-car ride comfort.

Even the larger Sirion supermini – launched in March 2005 – gives 64.2 mpg on the Extra Urban Cycle in 1.0 litre form with 118 g/km emissions.

Despite being an entry-level model, the standard equipment on the Sirion 1.0 S includes air-conditioning, ABS with EBD, central-locking, four electric windows, power-steering, a radio/CD player and driver, passenger and side airbags.