Production began in time for the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo in October 1964, with initial release in select Japanese cities starting in April 1962.

The suspension setup was modeled after the Hillman Minx, which was previously manufactured by Isuzu under a license agreement with the Rootes Group.

As the private car ownership market in Japan began to grow, the Bellel was offered as an alternative to the Toyota Crown, Nissan Cedric, and the Prince Gloria.

The diesel engine - a first for a Japanese passenger car - made the Bellel popular for commercial applications, such as taxicab services.

[6] This partially helped to offset the Bellel's relative unpopularity with private customers, which resulted from the harshness of the early diesel engine and peculiar styling.