Two new Daihatsus

• Materia supermini goes on sale in the UK next year
• D-Compact X-Over just a prototype at this stage
• Both appear at Paris Motor Show later this month.

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The boxy little Daihatsu Materia supermini will go on sale in the UK around the middle of next year.

Powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine, the Materia will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show at the end of the month and aims to take on the likes of Vauxhall's Meriva and Nissan's Note.

The rear seats slide fore and aft, and also fold flat to increase loadspace. Expect the Daihatsu to undercut the Vauxhall and Nissan, which both cost from just under £10,000.

Daihatsu will also pull the covers from this D-Compact X-Over in Paris. It looks to be around the same size as the company's Terios off-roader, and has been developed in conjunction with the well-known design house Italdesign.

The D-Compact X-Over features a panoramic windscreen which, like that found on the Vauxhall Astra, stretches back over the heads of passengers in one unbroken piece of glazing.

Daihatsu is saying nothing about the prospects of the prototype being pushed into production at this stage, however.