Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. plans to introduce new connectivity services for its commercial vehicles before the end of the year. Utilizing Fuso Remote Truck, a smartphone app that connects with the automaker’s Truckonnect dispatch management system, customers will be able to monitor vehicle information and control certain functions remotely by smartphone. Increases to...
Trucks
Hino Boosts Koga Plant Production by 20%
Hino Motors Ltd. (TYO:7205) on Oct. 12 invited members of the press to its plant in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, where the automaker manufactures heavy- and medium-duty trucks. By setting up 26 sub-assembly lines, Hino has enabled truck and tractor manufacturing to take place on a single production line. Hino has also introduced a range of...
Japanese Government Promotes Fuel Cell Trucks, Buses as Part of Hydrogen Strategy
The Japanese government has listed buses and trucks for fuel cell vehicle (FCV) development as part of the country’s basic hydrogen strategy, which will be fully compiled at the end of the year. As such large vehicles require a lot fuel, this will lead to improved profitability of hydrogen stations. The government has decided also...
Hino to Upgrade to New US Plant, Bring in Cab Assembly From Japan
Hino Motors Ltd. (TYO:7205) announced on Sept. 28 its plans to relocate U.S. operations to a new plant neighboring the automaker’s current site in the state of West Virginia. The company is investing a total of $100 million into the new plant, which is slated to be operational in 2019. Along with consolidating operations for...
Yamato Transport Adopts 25-Meter Double-Trailer Truck
Yamato Transport Co. Ltd. recently announced that it has adopted for domestic use two units of an extra-long 25-meter trailer truck developed by Isuzu Motors Ltd. (TYO:7202) and Nippon Trex Co. Ltd. The Japanese delivery company plans to introduce one truck unit at both its Atsugi and Kansai logistics terminals, and hopes that the trailer...
Iveco to Enter Japanese Market for Natural Gas Vehicles
Iveco S.p.A held a press conference on Sept. 6 at the Embassy of Italy in Tokyo to announce its plans to develop natural gas-fuelled transport. The Italian commercial automaker is undertaking feasibility studies with two Japanese companies regarding the assembly, marketing, maintenance and launch of natural gas vehicles for the Japanese market. Iveco plans also...
Jtekt Develops Torsen LSD for Light-Duty Trucks in Asian Market
Jtekt Corp. (TYO:6473) recently announced that it will begin mass production of a torque-sensitive limited-slip differential (LSD) for light-duty trucks as part of the company’s Torsen series. The company has to date focused the production of its Torsen series for application in four-wheel drive vehicles and rear-wheel drive (FR) sports cars, making development for light-duty...
Mitsubishi Fuso to Ramp up After-Sales Services in Indonesia
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. is looking to strengthen its after-sales service in Indonesia. The Japanese automaker plans to open up new stores specializing in automobile maintenance and parts sales, as well as conduct certification of those service centers belonging to partnering businesses. In doing so, Mitsubishi Fuso aims to increase its number of...
Mitsubishi Fuso Targets 50% Share of Indonesian Market
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. is aiming to raise its share of Indonesia’s commercial vehicle market to 50 percent by 2020. In line with the restructuring of its local distribution company this past April, the Japanese automaker will expand its product lineup and launch new sales promotion campaigns. The company has also expanded its...
UD Trucks Unveils New Kuzer Light-Duty Truck for Indonesian Market
UD Trucks Corp. revealed its new line of Kuzer light-duty trucks on Oct. 10 at the opening day of the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS). The Kuzer is slated to be launched in the Indonesian market, where only UD Trucks’ Quester line of heavy-duty trucks is available at present. Deciding it necessary to expand...
Mitsubishi Fuso Begins Production of Electric Truck in Portugal
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. began production of its electric-powered light truck, the eCanter, on Aug. 1 at Mitsubishi Fuso Truck Europe SA’s plant in Tramagal, Portugal. The small electric truck will be exported to North America and Europe. For Japan, production began in July at Mitsubishi Fuso’s Kawasaki factory. Twenty-five vehicles are scheduled...
Hino to Offer Chinese Market New Trucks at 10% Cheaper Cost
Hino Motors Ltd. (TYO:7205) has announced that it will release new trucks for the Chinese market in 2018–2019, developed with a focus on reducing costs. The company hopes that increased local procurement and other such measures will allow it to cut the prices of its trucks by approximately 10 percent. Hino began manufacturing heavy-duty trucks...
NSK Targets International Market With New Automotive Load Sensor
NSK Ltd. (TYO:6471) has developed an automotive load sensor. Able to measure the load on automobile tires, the new sensor will be marketed by NSK to vehicle manufacturers as a tool for preventing the overloading of compact commercial vehicles. The company will be primarily targeting markets outside of Japan. In addition to preventing overloading in...
Hino Motors Goes on the Offensive in US Truck Market
Hino Motors Ltd. (TYO:7205) plans to double its annual truck sales in the U.S. to over 20,000 units within the next five years. In addition to increasing its number of medium-duty truck models, the company aims to stabilize revenue by switching over to local procurement of environmentally friendly parts. In its bid to expand overseas...
Mitsubishi Fuso to Launch EV in Each Truck Class by 2020
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. aims to introduce an electric-powered truck in all of the company’s truck classes by 2020. The components to make these electric trucks are being developed primarily by Mitsubishi Fuso, and the company will offer the trucks globally through parent company Daimler AG. Domestic production began in July for Mitsubishi...
Hino Motors to Launch Large-Sized Touring Coach Compliant With Emissions Regulations
Hino Motors Ltd. (TYO:7205) announced on June 6 that it will launch its revamped large-sized touring coach, S’elega, on July 3. In addition to complying with 2016 emissions regulations, the revamped S’elega boasts improved performance of its pre-collision system (PCS). The short-body coach is designed to reduce the amount of emissions and comes standard with...
Mitsubishi Fuso Launches Fully Revamped Super Great Truck, Aero Buses
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. released a new iteration of its Super Great heavy-duty truck on May 15. The redesign marks the first complete overhaul for the Super Great in 21 years. All versions of the latest Super Great are outfitted with a new, more compact engine and automated mechanical transmission (AMT) that improve...
Mitsubishi Fuso Gets Ball Rolling on EV Trucking Infrastructure
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. held an opening ceremony on May 10 at its Kawasaki plant for the installation of power charging stations for electric trucks. Mitsubishi Fuso plans to launch its eCanter light-duty electric truck in Japan in the second half of this year. Due to a domestic lack of charging stations large...
Isuzu and Apple International Join Forces to Expand Used Car Business
Isuzu Motors Ltd. (TYO:7202) recently announced that it has agreed to form a capital alliance with Apple International Co. Ltd. Isuzu will invest approximately 4 billion yen ($35.74 million) to acquire a 9.9-percent stake in the company, which purchases, sells and exports used cars. The deal is slated to be finalized on May 31. Utilizing...
Toyota Supersizes Mirai Fuel Cell Technology for Tests in Heavy-Duty Truck
Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203) has announced that Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc. (TEMA) will begin demonstration tests this summer of a heavy-duty truck equipped with fuel cell system at the Port of Los Angeles, California. The tests aim to determine the system’s level of durability, traveling performance and environmental performance for applications...
UD Trucks Announces New Quon Heavy-Duty Truck
UD Trucks Corp. announced on April 11 its plans to launch a new version of the company’s Quon heavy-duty truck. This will be the line’s first full-model revamp in 13 years. The Ageo, Saitama-based company has upgraded the Escot, a proprietary electronically controlled automated manual transmission (AMT) used in the Quon. The new truck is...
Mitsubishi Fuso Consolidates Operations in Taiwan
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. has started consolidating its operations in Taiwan, where the company’s unit sales are trailing only those of Japan and Indonesia. The new framework covers imports and assembly through to sales operations – functions which until now have been divided across a number of companies. By forming a new company...
Hino Improves Truck Comfort, Operability With Full Upgrades to Profia and Ranger Models
Hino Motors Ltd. (TYO:7205) on April 5 simultaneously released fully upgraded new models of the company’s Profia heavy-duty truck and its Ranger medium-duty truck. The safety performance of the new models has been significantly bolstered, and the trucks are equipped with an information communication technology (ICT) service feature. By realizing operability and comfort in driving...
For First Time in 10 Years, Japan Sees More Than 90,000 Medium and Heavy-Duty Truck Sales
Japan’s sales of medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks grew 11.2 percent year-on-year for fiscal 2016 to reach 98,106 units, according to industry sources. It is the first time in 10 years that sales figures have topped the 90,000-unit mark. An industry member attributed this increase to strong sales of large cargo trucks throughout the year, as...
Mitsubishi Fuso to Offer Special New Road Service for Next Heavy-Duty Truck
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. will offer a new tire maintenance service for the Super Great heavy-duty truck slated for launch in May. In a partnership with Nihon Michelin Tire Co. Ltd., the Japanese company will roll out a special road service to reach vehicles with single-tire configurations within two hours. The Super Great’s...
Toyota Industries to Acquire Vanderlande, Expand Logistics Business
Toyota Industries Corp. (TYO:6201) announced on March 23 that it will acquire Netherlands logistics solutions company Vanderlande Industries Holding BV for 140 billion yen ($1.26 billion). Excelling in baggage processing systems for airports, as well as in logistics systems for the retail and parcel handling industries, Vanderlande has 50 bases of operations across the globe....
Hino Incorporates Modular Principles Into Truck Designs
Hino Motors Ltd. (TYO:7205) will make full-scale improvements to its medium-and heavy-duty trucks this spring, incorporating a new design that will allow the company to roll out product variations in short periods of time. The new design adopts modular principles that will enable Hino to respond quickly to ever-expanding customer needs. Japanese heavy-duty truck manufacturers...
Hino on Track to Launch New Telematics Service This Autumn
Hino Motors Ltd. (TYO:7205) will offer a new telematics service with new models slated to be launched this year. They will be equipped with a communication device that will check driving operation and vehicle conditions in real time. Collected data will be utilized for operation management, including that for fuel-efficient driving and vehicle maintenance. The...
NTT Docomo Eyes Using AI to Make Bus Routes Flexible
NTT Docomo Inc. (TYO:9437) and Hokkaido-based Mirai Share Co. Ltd. announced on March 9 that they have teamed up to bring about an AI smartphone system to support bus operations, providing efficient running of shared services in response to demand. The system will enable the allocation of shared vehicles to be dispatched according to user...
UD Trucks Launches Croner Medium-Duty Truck in Bangkok
UD Trucks Corp. on March 1 launched the company’s new medium-duty truck, the Croner, in Bangkok, Thailand. It was jointly developed with the Volvo Group as a strategic model for emerging markets and can be widely customized to meet the various business needs in the medium-duty segment. After commencing sales in Thailand from March, the trucks will be...
