Developed by Daihatsu under the lead of chief engineer Masaharu Tezeni,[4][5] the Gran Max was released in November 2007 as the replacement of the Indonesian market Zebra of similar size.

[6] It is similar to the tenth-generation Hijet Cargo by its "semi-cab" configuration (front wheels located forward of the door) for both the van and pickup models.

The Gran Max was launched in Indonesia on 6 November 2007 as the successor to the aging Zebra Espass pickup and commercial van.

The Town Ace pickup was launched for pre-sale in Taiwan in November 2021, and has been assembled locally by Kuozui Motors in Guanyin.

[14][15] The Lite Ace van was released in GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE in July 2022 with the 1.5-litre 2NR-VE engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission.