Can it Be a Daihatsu in Disguise

[schreck]

I owned a 90 Daihatsu Charade with the 1L, 3 cylinder engine. 0 to 60 was measured in minutes but it got 50 mpg on a bad day. Only car I ever owned where the owner's manual came with a warning against using the a/c at speeds under 45 mph.

Drove that car from 90 until 97 and when I was reviewing the Yaris recently it looked somewhat similar. Except for the larger engine, this appears to be a Daihatsu with a Toyota nameplate. Same seats, nearly identical interior layout (minus the center mounted gauges the Charade didn't have). In fact, the Charade came as either a sedan or hatchback. Gee, sounds a little familiar, doesn't it?

Now I discover that Toyota bought Daihatsu and relegated them to the Australian and British market a few years ago. Guess what, foreign versions come with a 1L engine! Upon looking at a picture of the engine, it looks like my old Charade engine right down to the oil cap in the middle instead of off to the left side (or course, with just 60 CID to work with, just how creative can you get with cap placement?).

Anybody care to give their two cents as to whether or not the Yaris is actually a Daihatsu design?

Just a thought, not a criticism.