Hakaru Automobiles Light and Heavy Duty Delivery Vehicles Gallery

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Hakaru Automobiles Light and Heavy Duty Delivery Vehicles Gallery

Welcome to the Hakaru light and heavy duty delivery vehicles gallery.

On this page, we document each light and heavy duty delivery vehicle manufactured and sold by Hakaru in both future and past. We hope you enjoy the vehicles put on show and display.

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Hakaru Buzz 50
The year 1984 gave us the Hakaru Buzz 50, a small 49cc moped designed to be used in fleets by restaraunts or other shops who desired to do local deliveries on tighter areas of Japan.

Outside of Japan, the Buzz 50 was an entry level scooter in countries such as the USA and England, often piloted by youths or blue-collar workers in the less rural parts of the country, as it had a cheap starting price with features such as a rear pannier rack, two rear view mirrors, under-seat storage and a good ride because it had shocks all around, whilst still maintaining a decently reliable 49cc, 3.9hp two-stroke engine.

Common problems on the Buzz 50 from launch included carburettors flooding and seized piston rings after 3500 miles, although this was within the 4000 mile warranty and could be repaired for free at any local dealership.

Pictured above is a 1991 model Buzz 50.
The Buzz 50 was eventually replaced in 1988 with the Hakaru Super Pilot 80 and the larger Super Pilot 125/150 four-stroke models
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Hakaru Smallboy 210
In 60s Japan, economic growth was rising steadily, and more investment into domestic manufacturing was made. This gave birth to the Hakaru Smallboy, a three-wheeled micro pickup truck or van which was made for one thing- Light deliveries and transporting packages or other cargo across short distances between major hubs.

The Smallboy 80 had, as the name may give away, a 210cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine which produced 7.4hp. In 1969, new safety regulations meant that the updated Smallboy 210’s and later 250’s, which utilized a 250cc two-stroke single cylinder engine producing 8.9hp, came with updated lights, headrests on either side of the vehicle, and seatbelts. Sales continued strongly within Asia, and some parts of North America.

Some companies in North America had put in large quantities of orders of Smallboy light trucks during 1965-1967, and used these small vehicles to carry cargo within compounds at companies such as UAMC and Rivera. Small staffed service garages were also constructed to maintain and repair the vehicles throughout their use.

Pictured above is a fully restored 1962 Hakaru Smallboy 210.
The Smallboy 210 was eventually replaced with the Smallboy 510 and the higher end Smallboy 550 or range-topping 660 model. Production ended in 1973 in favor of four-wheeled vehicles, as casualties with the three-wheeled platforms had been increasing for a few years by that time.
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Hakaru Loadmaster Super Diesel
During the economic boom of the 1980s in Japan, Hakaru could afford to invest into more capable and heavyweight vehicles to support the national industry. As a result of this, the Hakaru Loadmaster family was created, designated "Project YN-1E" in 1980. By 1982 Hakaru had a ready design, and by 1984 the first generation Hakaru loadmaster was given a spot on the Tokyo Fujita assembly plant.

Three different configurations were made available: short wheelbase, medium wheelbase and extended wheelbase. These were available either as a tipper, box truck, flatbed or configured as a chassis with a cab for ready modification. A choice of two engines was given, both Super Diesel marketed inline-six engines paired to a 5 speed manual gearbox.

A special run of Loadmaster Super Diesels was produced between June 1986 to August 1986 branded the "Hakaru Loadmaster Super Diesel Crew Duty", which was a crew cab (two row seating, four door cabin) configuration available through Hakaru Anzen dealerships. They were only available as medium wheelbase or extended wheelbase trucks, although 14 were produced as cabin-only short wheelbase trucks. Nowadays they fetch a high price at specialist auctions.

Pictured above is an extended wheelbase 1984 Hakaru Loadmaster Super Diesel with a custom "それをぽった" livery on the box.
Many models of the Loadmaster Super Diesel were exported to Australia, England and other countries in Asia such as Hong Kong and Indonesia, and as such the Loadmaster Super Diesel was designed to withstand incredible heat and rough terrain, and easy serviceability in case of a breakdown far away from a service garage.
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Hakaru Meikai 1.3 CXi Van (CNDM)
Introduced in 1999, the Hakaru Meikai was an affordable but generously equipped Multi-Purpose Vehicle sold globally to rival similiar vehicles such as the Seikatsu Grandmaster, but in a more compact package. The Meikai was based off of the platform shared with the previous generation Cren, Carica and Astura. In China, they were popular as small vans due to their easy repair nature, fuel efficiency, build quality and good windshield visibility.

UK models were fitted as standard with parking sensors front and rear, and a black and white parking camera was available as an option, later replaced with a colour screen in 2001. Diesel engines were not an option until the year 2000, and only with automatic gearboxes. For petrol models, two different 5 speed manual options were available, which was slightly confusing for customers.

Upon the new millenium, a special edition run trim model, aptly named the 2000 and fitted with a 2.0L engine to boot, was available in Japan and Europe. USDM Meikai models were sparse, and the range was not as varied and wide as it was across the rest of the world.

Top: 2002 Hakaru Meikai 1.5 GXi
Bottom: 2013 Hakaru Meikai 1.3 VAN CXi CNDM
The Meikai was produced in China under a license until 2014, when legislations changed out of favour for the TXC10 Meikai. The 1.3 L2QR4 powerplant is however still in production for Chinese manufactured cars, under license from Hakaru.
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As a small MPV/minivan/people mover (delete as appropriate depending on where you live), the Meikai actually acquitted itself very well. Back then, the segment was a lot more competitive, with formidable rivals such as the Renault Scenic and Opel/Vauxhall Zafira - and the Meikai would have stacked up very well against both of them, especially since it could also be ordered as a panel van.

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