Hino is marking a decade of success with its 300 Series Hybrid in Australia.
The Hino is celebrating as its 300 Series Hybrid enters its 10th year of sales as the best-selling diesel-electric light duty commercial vehicle platform in Australia.
The Hino says it pioneered diesel-electric trucks in Australia and has been a sales market leader for hybrid trucks since its launch in 2007, selling 481 units to date.
Hino Australia has launched a marketing campaign highlighting the economic and environmental advantages of the Hybrid.
Hino Australia chairman and chief executive officer Steve Lotter attributes the Hino Hybrid sales to a growing demand for fuel-saving and environmentally-friendly options in the trucking industry.
“Global demand for a low greenhouse gas emission truck gave us the perfect opportunity to provide our proven hybrid solution to Australian businesses,” Lotter says.
“We stepped into a truck market unfamiliar with diesel-electric technology and implemented the world’s best hybrid system thanks to our Toyota Group connection.
“The research and development by Toyota and our global Hino counterparts ensured our product delivered on our promise of quality, durability and reliability.
“For our local customers, recognising that the Hino Hybrid helps save fuel and increase the bottom line has made it the preferred choice for fleets of all sizes,” Lotter says.
The electric motor in the Hino 300 Series Hybrid is derived from the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system featured in the Toyota Prius and other hybrid variants such as the Camry Hybrid and newly-revealed Corolla Hybrid.
Hino says independent testing of hybrid commercial vehicles in 2012 showed a 21 per cent average saving in fuel, CO2 emissions and costs for a pick-up and delivery operation in the Sydney metropolitan area.
It claims that the average savings over a conventional diesel vehicle were calculated to be approximately 6.66 litres of fuel and 179.35 grams of CO2 emissions per 100 kilometres.
The Hino Hybrid is available in eight variants and is suitable for a range of applications.
The latest Hino Hybrid combines a 4.0-litre 110kW/420Nm diesel engine with a 36kW electric motor which run in parallel and are mated to a Hino ProShift 5 automated manual transmission