Headlining Hino Australia’s strong sales result in 2017 was its versatile 500 Series Wide Cab model range, which broke through the five hundred unit mark in its first 12 months on sale.
“The success we experienced in 2017 has flowed into 2018 with almost seven hundred 500 Series Wide Cab models sold since we launched it in February 2017,” said Bill Gillespie, Hino Australia General Manager of Brand and Franchise Development.
“When we launched the 500 Series Wide Cab models over a year ago, we knew the versatility of the line-up and the standard active safety package would open up new markets for us, which it has in a wide range of industries and applications.
“Available across the range, the six speed Allison automatic transmissions have proven to be extremely popular - our customers now have a transport solution that is the safest medium duty Japanese truck in the class and one of the easiest to operate.
“Another feature that has proven popular has been the Electronically Controlled Air Suspension (ECAS) in the rear.”
The ECAS allows specific suspension heights to be programmed to suit the differing loading dock heights of Hino customers.
“The overall Australian truck market has grown by 24% year-to-date and Hino sales have increased by 26%.The launch of the 500 Series Wide Cab models can be considered as one of the contributing factors for this increase.
“The major growth in the market is in the heavy duty segment, which has increased 37% year-on-year. We believe this increase is due to a number of factors including the infrastructure investment on the east coast of Australia.
“For Hino, this means we have doubled our heavy duty sales year-to-date. Again, the number of variants in our 500 Series Wide Cab model range affords us more opportunities in our traditional markets of freight, construction, mining, waste management and local government.
“The versatility of the 500 Series Wide Cab range has been a significant contributor to Hino reaching number one position in Victoria in the medium duty category year-to-date,” said Mr Gillespie.
Boasting the most comprehensive active safety package of any Japanese truck in the medium duty truck category, the 500 Series Wide Cab offers Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) as standard across the range.
Another class-leading active safety feature is the standard inclusion of a microphone-equipped and night vision enabled reverse camera.
“At Hino Australia we are committed to being a trusted business partner for our customers – our comprehensive product range including the 500 Series Wide Cab models and our unique Hino Advantage program allow us to do exactly that,” said Mr Gillespie.
All Hino trucks are supported by Hino Advantage, a suite of innovative business solutions that can improve operational efficiency and reduce costs and for the customer.
The Hino Advantage suite of services includes capped price servicing, dedicated customer care centre, access to Hino Genuine parts and accessories, factory-trained service technicians, roadside assistance, Hino Telematics, tailored fleet training and Hino Financial Services.