Surge in unit sales at Trucks Asia
Trucks Asia, with its Mitsubishi Fuso brand, is the second-largest manufacturer of light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks in Japan. Mitsubishi Fuso also covers the entire spectrum of buses, ranging from urban transport buses to luxury travel coaches.
In the year under review, Trucks Asia’s record unit sales of 197,700 trucks and buses were 5% higher than in the prior year. Further sales growth was posted in Indonesia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Turkey. Trucks Asia continues to be the market leader for light-duty trucks in Indonesia and Taiwan. Unit sales developed negatively in Japan and the United States, where difficult economic conditions made it impossible to match the prior year’s sales level.
Mitsubishi Fuso’s Super Great heavy-duty truck is one of Japan’s most innovative trucks with regard to safety technology. In May 2008, Mitsubishi Fuso presented the Safety Truck, which is based on the latest Super Great model. This heavy-duty truck impressively demonstrates how advanced technology can improve the safety standards of commercial vehicles.
The development of hybrid vehicles is playing an increasingly important role for Daimler Trucks, which is why the establishment of the Global Hybrid Center at Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) during the year under review marks a milestone on the path toward creating ever cleaner and more efficient hybrid vehicles. The Global Hybrid Center will synchronize Daimler Trucks’ activities for the development of hybrid systems and give them a global orientation (see here).
The Fuso Canter, which was launched in Europe in summer 2006, continued its success in the year under review. In October 2008, the 150,000th Fuso Canter rolled off the assembly line in Tramagal, Portugal. And in August, we launched Europe’s largest fleet test of hybrid trucks, for which we supplied ten Fuso Canter Eco Hybrids to selected customers in London. The aim of this three-year test is to gain new insights from customers’ experience of the 7.5-ton hybrid truck in Europe, while demonstrating the diesel-electric hybrid drive’s high level of efficiency.
