24.08.2010  HINO UPGRADES 300 SERIES TRUCKS

Hino has announced a range of safety, driveability, comfort and environmental upgrades for its 300 Series range. The entire Hino 300 Series range – Hybrids and diesels – now meets ADR80/03 (Euro 5) emission requirements, thanks to the added feature of a Diesel Particulate Active Reduction System. In addition, the Hino 300 Series range has the added active safety and convenience of power-operated and heated exterior mirrors, with a wider field of view from the spotter mirrors. The Hino 300 Series Wide Cab models have the added stability of front and rear stabiliser bars. All Hino 300 Series models have ABS brakes and electronic brake force distribution (EBD) as standard equipment. Hino 300 Series Standard cabin models feature a driver’s SRS airbag, while Wide cabin models offer both driver and passenger SRS airbags as standard equipment. The 4,500kg / 5,500 kg GVM Hino 300 616 model now has a six-speed manual transmission in lieu of the previous five-speed manual transmission. This change sees all Hino Wide cabin models now featuring the six-speed transmission as standard equipment, bringing the added flexibility and drivability of the higher GVM models into the car licence segment for the first time. Hino’s addition of an active Diesel Particulate Active Reduction System (DPR) to its full 300 Series range – Hybrids and diesels – is designed to reduce particulates (carbon soot) by over 95 per cent. It has a ceramic honeycomb structure – to trap particulate matter and incinerate it during the vehicle’s regular operation. Hino DPR technology has already been proven in Australia in some 150 Hino Hybrid 300 Series diesel-electric trucks. Hino has long experience in this technology, beginning in Japan in the early 1990s for vehicles in use in metropolitan tunnel service applications. The technology began its Australian evaluation in 2004 and has been standard on Hino Hybrids in Australia since 2007. A benefit of Hino being the world leader in commercial vehicle hybrid technology is that the Hino DPR has been designed from the outset to work well in stop-start applications, a driving pattern common to hybrid vehicles. In most operating scenarios, the Hino DPR will automatically clean itself. The only change the driver will notice during automatic self-cleaning is a slightly higher idle speed.