The name "Vivio" is a reference to the engine's displacement of 660 written in Roman numerals (VI,VI,O), and also inspired by the word "vivid". It replaced the Rex that was introduced in the 1970s, and was itself superseded by the Subaru Pleo. It was available in 3 and 5-door versions commonly, with a two-door targa top version named "T-top" being available to special order from 1994. The T-top was built by Takada Kogyo, a convertible specialist who also assembled Nissan's Figaro and Silvia Varietta amongst other specialty cars.