Daimler launches sale of new Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid Truck in Japan

Daimler’s Japanese commercial vehicle subsidiary, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), has launched the sale of its innovative Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid truck in Japan. The light duty truck, which celebrated its world premiere at the Tokyo
Motor Show – Japan’s largest automotive exhibition – in November 2011, will also be introduced by Fuso in Europe and other international markets in the third quarter of this year.

For Fuso this represents a consistent advancement on its way to take a leading role in the field of green innovation. The predecessor model of today’s Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid was already launched back in 2006. The right-hand-drive hybrid vehicle has been sold more than 1,200 times in markets like Japan, Australia, Ireland, and Hong Kong. The positive response it received on the markets led to the decision to offer the second-generation model in both a right- and left-hand-drive version. The Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid is also the world’s first commercial vehicle that combines a Duonic dual-clutch transmission with a hybrid engine. As a result, the vehicle boasts high fuel efficiency, while also combining the comfort of an automatic transmission with the economy of a stick-shift.

“The new Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid is an innovative hybrid truck that will enable us to further extend our leading position with regard to fuel efficiency and overall economy,” says Albert Kirchmann, President of MFTBC. “We continue to invest heavily in alternative drive technologies in order to ensure that we are ideally prepared for stricter emission regulations not only in the triad markets, but also worldwide. The Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid is one of the cleanest vehicles in its class.” The new hybrid truck’s nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions are 30 per cent lower than the limits set by Japan’s current emission standard (JP09), which has been in effect since 2010. When compared to the current Fuso Canter with a conventional diesel engine, moreover, the hybrid version uses more than 25 per cent less fuel during a Japanese driving cycle.

Fuso is already one of the world’s leading manufacturers of commercial vehicles in terms of alternative drive systems. The hybrid variant of the Fuso Canter volume truck also proved itself during a three-year fleet test in London from 2008 to 2011. The results of these trials have contributed significantly to the further development of the Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid.

The highly efficient and economical hybrid truck is the latest innovation to come out of the Global Hybrid Center (GHC) in Kawasaki, Japan. The GHC, which serves as Daimler Trucks’ global center of competence for the development of hybrid vehicles, manages and synchronizes the hybrid related activities of all truck brands within the Daimler Group.

'Shaping Future Transportation'
Through its continued commitment to alternative drive system technologies, Fuso is making an important contribution to the implementation of Daimler Truck’s 'Shaping Future Transportation' global initiative, which was launched in 2007. This initiative is focused, among other things, on reducing pollutants, carbon dioxide, and fuel consumption through the utilisation of clean, efficient drive systems and alternative fuels.

Strategy Fuso 2015 – Leader in the field of green innovation
The new Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid represents an important milestone on the way to implementing the Fuso 2015 growth strategy, which was launched in October 2011. The goal of becoming the leader in the field of green innovation is one of the strategy’s five main pillars. The focus here is on achieving a 7.5 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions between now and 2015 by making Fuso’s products, plants, infrastructure, and supply chain even more environmentally friendly.

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