You’re living in a land of “freedom,” means Pakistan. Somehow, you manage to save money for a compact JDM crossover with a very dinky fuel-efficient engine. Fortunately, you have too many options, like Toyota Raize, Daihatsu Rocky, and Subaru Rex. But you already know very well that they all are essentially the same car with some headlights and bumpers swapped out and being sold under different brand names.
It’s not just the Daihatsu Rocky that multiple car brands rebadge. For your general information, here’s a list of all popular JDM car models in Pakistan that have become victims of rebadging.
Daihatsu Rocky
Rebadged as:
- Toyota Raize
- Daihatsu Rocky
- Subaru Rex
As mentioned in the introduction, this is the most popular rebadged car we know so far. We know you might remember this car as a Toyota Raize, but in reality, it was the first designed and came into existence by Daihatsu as a Rocky. Soon, Toyota rebadged it as a Raize in Japan. However, in the European market, Rocky is sold under the brand name Subaru, with the model name “Rex.”
The brands were too lazy to change the main platform, such as the engine, chassis, interior, and technology, so to make it look different, they just swapped the bumpers and grills and put their logo on the Rocky. That’s it!
Kia Bongo
Rebadged:
That was the most hilarious name we had heard in our life, “Bongo.” It was first designed and produced by Kia under the model name Bongo. Later, in Pakistan, Hyundai rebadged it as a Porter. Yes, it’s the same pickup that you need on roads, such as an ice cream delivery truck and Wapda’s service truck. The Koreans have now introduced the Bongo III, which is an all-electric utility truck. In a decade, maybe Pakistan might also get Bongo III like an all-electric utility truck.
Suzuki Alto
Rebadged:
Mazda Carol and Suzuki Alto are also the two most popular Kei 660 cars in Pakistan that you can get. But, essentially, both cars are the same. Suzuki gave the design patent and design formula of the Alto to Mazda, and the brand introduced their Alto with Carol’s rebadge.
Although, Carol is a bit better than Alto in terms of built quality and paint quality. But, besides the logo, you’re not going to feel any difference that you’re in a Mazda and not in a Suzuki car. Both cars are imported by Pakistan people, and both have got good resale in the local market, but the Suzuki Alto badge is more popular in the market, though.
Mitsubishi Toppo Guppy
Rebadged:
Do you remember the 1990 WagonR? It was a rebadged model of the above Toppo Guppy by Mitsubishi. The original car couldn’t make it to the Pakistani market, but its rebadged model WagonR was a hit in Pakistan, and it was probably the cheapest Kei of its time. Now, you might understand how a brand name affects the market value of the car. Put Suzuki’s logo on any compact hatchback; its resale will boost without any doubt.
Although Suzuki made some cosmetic changes, e.g., swapping out headlights, bumpers, dashboard design, and backlights, the main chassis, engine, and technology remained the same as Toppo Guppy.
Toyota Passo
Rebadged:
Although Daihatsu is also a subsidiary brand of Toyota, both operate separately. But in the case of Passo’s rebadging, Daihatsu was too lazy to change anything in the car. All Daihatsu did was remove the Toyota logo through a heat gun and place their logo on the car—done! If you hide the logo from the car, no one can tell if it’s Daihatsu or Toyota. Pakistani people are importing both vehicles, and there’s no such difference in the resale and price of both models. But, as compared to Passo, Boon’s resale is slightly lower in the market, possibly due to the T logo value.
Daihatsu Mira 7th and 8th Generation
Rebadged:
It was first designed and produced by Daihatsu, but later, Subaru rebadged it under the model name “Pleo.” In Pakistan, the original Mira is more popular and in demand than the Pleo. Maybe this is because Daihatsu has a back from Toyota, so people’s trust is more towards Daihatsu than Subaru.
