Subaru Chiffon: prices, Smart Assist and equipment after the update
Subaru has updated the Chiffon kei car with expanded Smart Assist functions. Prices now range from 1,496,000 to 2,178,000 yen, while the RS gets Smart Cruise Package as standard.
The cheapest Subaru Chiffon now costs 1,496,000 yen after the update. That is only 11,000 yen more than the 2024 price list. The turbocharged Chiffon Custom RS has risen by 71,500 yen: the front-wheel-drive version is now 2,057,000 yen and the 4WD model 2,178,000 yen.
The larger increase for the RS coincides with the Smart Cruise Package moving from optional to standard equipment. The 658 cc engine, CVT and existing layout remain unchanged. The package combines adaptive cruise control across the full speed range, LKC lane keeping, CTA, a dedicated display and controls, ETC and Drive Assist Illumination.
The main technical update concerns Smart Assist. Automatic emergency braking can now detect a cyclist crossing the car’s path, an oncoming vehicle when turning right, and a pedestrian approaching through an intersection while the car is turning. ACC can detect the vehicle ahead from farther away and should adjust speed more smoothly, while LKC is designed to reduce wandering within the lane. Subaru stresses that the system remains an aid and does not guarantee that a collision will be avoided.
There is an important detail about where this electronics package comes from. The Chiffon is built for Subaru by Daihatsu and is the OEM counterpart of the Tanto. Daihatsu introduced the same Smart Assist upgrades on the updated Tanto on August 31: the newly recognized road users and the ACC and LKC changes match. In other words, the Chiffon is following its donor model rather than receiving a separate new Subaru-developed system.
The price list shows a broader shift as well. Compared with the 2024 list, the Chiffon L is up 11,000 yen, while the G, Custom R and Try have each risen by 22,000 yen. The RS is up 71,500 yen. At the same time, Subaru’s stated monthly sales target has fallen from 400 cars in 2024 to 260 now, a 35% reduction. This is the manufacturer’s target, not evidence of an actual 35% drop in demand.
In Japan’s tall kei-car segment, the Chiffon remains a niche counterpart to the much more widely sold Tanto.