The Daihatsu Gran Max (Japanese: ダイハツ・グランマックス, Hepburn: Daihatsu Guranmakkusu) is a series of light commercial vehicles (vans and pickup trucks) produced and sold by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu since late 2007.[3] It is also rebadged and marketed by Toyota as the Toyota LiteAce and Toyota TownAce since 2008, and by Mazda in Japan as the Mazda Bongo since 2020.
Developed by Daihatsu under the lead of chief engineer Masaharu Tezeni,[4][5] the Gran Max was released in November 2007 as the replacement of the Indonesian market Zebra of similar size. It also replaced the Perodua Rusa in Malaysia.[6] It is similar to the tenth-generation Hijet Cargo by its "semi-cab" configuration (front wheels located forward of the door) for both the van and pickup models. Produced in Indonesia by Astra Daihatsu Motor, it is powered by 1,298 cc (K3-DEEFI), 1,495 cc (3SZ-VEVVT-i) and 1,496 cc (2NR-VEDual VVT-i, since 2020) petrol engines and is both wider and longer than the kei car-sized Hijet.
The Gran Max was launched in Indonesia on 6 November 2007 as the successor to the aging Zebra Espass pickup and commercial van.[7] It was initially available with 1.3-litre K3-DE and 1.5-litre 3SZ-VE petrol engines. Both engines were only paired with a 5-speed manual transmission.
In August 2022, the 3SZ-VE engine option was replaced by the newer 2NR-VE unit. Other improvements include an updated four-spoke steering wheel, additional cup holder, electric power steering, larger 14-inch alloy wheels, and a higher ground clearance by 15 mm (0.6 in).[8] No other changes were made to the exterior.
Since February 2008, the Gran Max has been exported to Japan where it was firstly sold as the Toyota LiteAce/TownAce, which is positioned below the HiAce. With the facelifted model released in 2020, the LiteAce-badged model was discontinued due to integration of Japanese Toyota dealers. At the same time, Daihatsu started selling the vehicle in Japan as the Gran Max, slotting it above the Hijet kei vehicles. It is the first captive import product in the Japanese Daihatsu lineup.[9][10] It is also exported to Japan under Mazda brand as the Bongo, which replaced the previous Mazda-built models. These models are offered with optional collision avoidance system marketed as Smart Assist.
The Town Ace pickup was launched for pre-sale in Taiwan in November 2021, and has been assembled locally by Kuozui MotorsinGuanyin. Deliveries started in February 2022. The top grade is available with collision avoidance system marketed as Toyota Safety Sense.[11][12] In October 2022, the company started to take pre-orders for the van model.[12][13]
In the Philippines, the Lite Ace was launched on 15 July 2022 with the 1.5-litre 2NR-VE engine and a 5-speed manual transmission only. It is available in Pickup, Panel Van, FX Utility Van and Cargo Aluminum Van models (the latter two were added in August 2022).[14][15]
The Lite Ace van was released in GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE in July 2022 with the 1.5-litre 2NR-VE engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission.[5][16]
^自由時報電子報 (24 November 2021). "挑戰輕型商用神車 Veryca 的霸主寶座！Toyota Town Ace 預售價公佈 - 自由電子報汽車頻道" [Challenge the supremacy of the light commercial vehicle Veryca! Toyota Town Ace pre-sale price announced]. 自由時報電子報. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
^ abChen, Qingfeng (26 October 2022). "54.5萬起至62.5萬、4車型設定，Toyota Town Ace Van國內正式展開預售" [The Toyota Town Ace van has been officially launched for domestic pre-sale. From NT$545,000 to NT$625,000, 4 versions]. U-car (in Chinese). Retrieved 28 October 2022.
^Chen, Qingfeng (10 October 2022). "10月26日國內有望展開預售，Toyota國產Town Ace Van預告登場" [Pre-orders for announced Toyota's domestic Town Ace van are set to start on 26 October]. U-car (in Chinese). Retrieved 28 October 2022.
