Hino's 500-series has it making a strong tilt at market leadership
It is one of the most impressive and advanced medium-duty trucks to hit the market in a long time and it surprises no one that the standard cab version of Hino’s 500-series has quickly attracted intense interest.
While the Japanese brand nowadays resists the urge to publicly challenge Isuzu’s mantle at the head of the Australian market, there’s no doubt that making life as difficult as possible for the market leader is high on the Hino agenda.
Read about Hino’s new 500-series hitting Australian shores, here
Speaking at the media briefing on the first morning of the truck show, Hino Australia general manager Bill Gillespie was quick to cite the high level of safety in the standard cab range.
“The 500-series standard cab boasts the most comprehensive active safety package available from a Japanese manufacturer in the medium-duty market.”
Completing the 500-series line-up was a wide cab FM2632 model with a six-speed Allison automatic and electronically controlled rear air suspension which, according to Hino, have proven extremely popular in the two years since the launch of the new wide cab line-up.
Photography: Steve Brooks and Nathan Duff