Daihatsu Esse

The Daihatsu Esse is a kei car manufactured by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu. With a base price of 680,000 yen it was one of the cheapest new cars in Japan when it was launched in December 2005. According to Daihatsu, the name was derived from the Latin root for the English word essence. The Esse was sold as a five-door hatchback in five trim levels, Eco, D, L, X and Custom, with front- or four-wheel drive. The Esse Custom, introduced in November 2006, had a front lip spoiler, fog lights, side skirts and sporty seats but received no mechanical changes. In 2009 the trim levels were consolidated into D, X and Custom, plus an economy-oriented X-Special trim that was discontinued the following year.