The Charade
Would you want to drive a car whose name, Charade, Merriam-Webster defines as “an empty or deceptive act or pretense”? It was a surprisingly successful model, actually.
Japan’s Daihatsu Charade was a car to rival the Lettuce— another supermini, but roomier than the Lettuce. Produced in North America from 1977 to 2000, and billed as a premium compact, the front-wheel-drive car was originally available as a hatchback and boasted an all-aluminum three cylinder (993 cc) engine. In Japan, the Charade was very popular and was named Car of the Year in 1979.
The Charade was popular in Chile and other South American countries from 1977 throughout the 1980s. In the 1980s the Charade won racing car competitions.
In the United States, the Charade was only sold between 1988 and 1992 and sold poorly.