The Midget II is a kei truck that's smaller than a kei truck. Daihatsu built it from April 1996 to mid-2001 as a four-wheeled revival of its 1957 Midget three-wheeler, the "town helicopter" that became the Thai tuk-tuk, and it was deliberately sized under the kei limit: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) long, 1.3 m (51 in) wide, 550–700 kg (1,200–1,550 lb), with a single seat (or 1.5 in the automatic) and a 3.6 m (12 ft) turning circle. The tagline was "the minimum transporter for my town." It was assembled largely by hand at the "Midget Kobo" workshop inside Daihatsu's Ikeda plant, only about 14,000 were built, and it was never sold outside Japan; most Americans know it from Gran Turismo. Because production ended in 2001, every Midget II is old enough to import today.
What makes the Midget II different
The look. Round frog-eye headlamps, cycle fenders and the spare wheel mounted on the nose (moved behind the cab from September 1999, when the nose got a round cover with the Daihatsu "D" mark, the first use of that badge).
Hijet running gear. A ladder frame, 659cc Daihatsu EF three-cylinder and leaf-sprung rear axle from the eighth-generation Hijet, mounted under the seat and driving the rear wheels, so parts are shared with the most common kei truck of all.
Two bodies. The Pick, with a 1,145 × 1,205 mm (45 × 47 in) open bed, and from January 1997 the Cargo, a steel panel van with an integrated box, a rear door and a flip-up side window.
Minimal everything. A 120 km/h speedometer and a fuel gauge, no power steering, drum brakes at all four wheels on 10-inch wheels, and a 150 kg (330 lb) payload.
Which Midget IIs can be imported
U.S. rules let a vehicle that was never sold here be imported once it's at least 25 years old, counted from its month and year of manufacture. Every Midget II qualifies in 2026:
The September 1999 update added fuel injection, a 105 mm longer impact-absorbing front bumper, three-circle tail lamps, slightly taller gearing and an optional driver's airbag on two-seat automatics. The "V-" and "GD-" prefixes are Japanese emissions codes.
Pick or Cargo, manual or automatic?
Every Midget II is rear-wheel drive; no 4WD, low range or locking differential was ever offered, so it's a vehicle for pavement, yards, flat farm tracks and shows rather than mud. The real choices are body and gearbox. The Pick is the open-bed truck and the common one (about 9,400 built); the Cargo is the panel van, rarer (about 5,000), 40 mm wider and taller, and lockable, which makes it the better small-business or delivery vehicle. The 4-speed manual is a single-seater with a floor shift; the 3-speed column automatic, added in January 1997, is what made the small fold-down passenger seat possible, so every two-seat Midget II is an automatic and every manual has one seat. The automatic is geared taller from 1999 but is still a three-speed.
Versions you'll see
B type: the basic truck, heater only.
D type: the standard grade with fabric seats; air conditioning became standard on all but the B type from late 1998.
R type (1996–1998): the dress-up version with bumper guards and a body-colored spare cover, plus the 1996 R Limited special.
Custom: introduced in October 1997 as the 300-unit "American Custom" editions with two-tone paint, a Nardi leather steering wheel and leather-look seats, then a regular top grade from late 1998 with colored bumpers and plated trim.
Cargo D and Cargo Custom: the panel-van grades (the 1997–98 Cargo R was built by AIBA Works).
Any Midget II that's in Houston can be inspected and test driven at our lot.
Questions buyers ask
Can I title and register a Midget II in Texas? Since September 1, 2025, Texas law (SB 1816) lets kei trucks be titled and registered as "miniature vehicles." Our Texas title and registration guide walks through the paperwork. Other states have their own rules, so check with yours before you buy.
Will it keep up on the highway? No. With 31–33 PS and a 4-speed, a Midget II is flat out near 65 mph and busy well before that; treat it as a 35–50 mph town, farm and show vehicle. Owners report excellent economy, and Daihatsu's Japanese test-cycle figures run from 15 km/L (35 mpg) for the early automatic to 20 km/L (47 mpg) for the 1999-on manual, from a 31-liter (8.2 gal) tank of regular unleaded.
How much can it carry? 150 kg (330 lb), less than half a Hijet's 350 kg. For real hauling, see our Daihatsu Hijet guide; the Midget II is bought for its size, its looks and its rarity.
Is the odometer in miles? No. Japanese vehicles read in kilometers, and our listings show the odometer in km. 1 km is about 0.62 miles.
Is it right-hand drive? Yes, like every Japanese-market kei vehicle.
Can I buy one that's still on its way from Japan? Yes. Reserve an In Transit Midget II with a $1,000 deposit. See how buying works.
