A super compact minivan based on a light 1BOX that was a bit popular in the past
A long time ago, until about 25 years ago, Subaru Domingo had a monopoly on “light 1BOX-based 3-row seat compact minivans”, but in 1998, when light cars shifted to the new standard, the base Sambar Diaz was remodeled. However, the Domingo was never released.
Perhaps thinking of it as an opportunity, light 1-box makers other than Honda entered the market, competing alongside Daihatsu Atrai 7/Toyota Sparky and Mitsubishi Town Box Wide to become the successor to the Domingo, Suzuki Every+ (Plus).
There is no Domingo based on the new standard!Aiming for the last pot that suddenly starts
In October 1998, when light cars shifted to the current new standard, light tigers and light 1-box cars were slightly delayed, and the model changed from January to April 1999, but the major change at that time was collisions. It’s not just the body that has become larger with enhanced safety performance.
In 1983, Subaru released the “Domingo”, a three-row seat minivan based on the Sambar Tri (later Sambar Diaz), equipped with an in-line three-cylinder engine for Justy, and sold it for two generations, but the new The third generation standard Sambar base did not exist.
Whether or not he knew this information, he seemed to expect that there would be replacement demand for the genre that Domingo had monopolized, and in June 1999, the Suzuki Every + (Plus) was released in the same month as the Mitsubishi Town Box Wide. was.
Suzuki, Daihatsu, and Mitsubishi’s light 1-box base 3-row seat minivans, which aimed to succeed Domingo, had different stances as if to symbolize their sales scale, and it could be said that they were exactly three people.
Noppo 3-row version with extended front nose, Every + (Plus)
The simplest model was Mitsubishi’s Town Box Wide, which had a 1.1-liter GDI engine mounted on a body widened with over fenders in order to be released as a compact 1-box for overseas markets, but the third-row seats were only small auxiliary seats.
Daihatsu’s Atrai 7 was the most enthusiastic, and not only did it extend the rear overhang to give a splendid third row seat and ample passenger space, but also released a cargo specification Hijet Gran Cargo.
The Every+, which has been modified in a balanced manner in the middle, has an extended front nose to ensure collision safety performance, which is the opposite of the Atrai 7.
Although the interior length does not change, the second row seats are not bench seats for three people, but captain seats for two people. , Secure overhead space with a high roof over 1.9m similar to Domingo.
Since it was based on a FR light commercial 1BOX, it could not have a low floor, but in terms of getting in and out and usability, it might have been closer to a larger high-roof minivan.
Renamed Everylandy and lived a little longer than its rivals
In 2001, the name was changed to “Everylandy”, the floor shift was changed to an instrument panel shift, and the front seat left and right walk-through became possible. Improved usability, such as steps.
It was a big minor change that went beyond the image change by renaming.
From Domingo’s point of view, even though the engine for the Justy was irrelevantly old, it would have been discontinued if it could not be expected to sell enough for a model change. There can be no reason.
Town Box Wide, which dropped out first (ended August 2001), Atrai 7 (ended December 2004), which did not recover from sluggish sales including Toyota OEM Sparky, followed by Every Landy in August 2005. The sale ended without the car.
Both models continued to be sold overseas, where there was a certain amount of demand, and Daihatsu and other Hijet Gran Cargos were backed up, and the Gran Max returned to the domestic market, including the Toyota OEM (Townace/Liteace). has not recovered.
Since the beginning of the 2000s, “FF low-floor compact minivans” such as the Mobilio and Freed from Honda and the Sienta from Toyota have appeared, so it seems that there is no longer a demand for light 1-box-based vehicles.
Since it has been switched to a 1-box commercial vehicle/minivan with a dedicated body that is one size larger overseas, the Everylandy is likely to be the last 3-row minivan based on a light 1-box.
* The author information of the images used in this article is as of the publication date.