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Fuso celebrates 90th anniversary

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation has announced its celebration of the Fuso brand’s 90th anniversary in May 2022

Fuso is celebrating its 90th birthday by sharing the history of the company and where the Fuso name actually came from.

The origin of the Fuso name dates back to May 1932, when Mitsubishi’s first gasoline bus, the “B46 type shared car”, manufactured at the Kobe Shipyard of the former Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, was branded “Fuso”.

The vehicle’s name, selected among proposals from employees at the company, was suggested by an engineer at the shipyard.

The proposal argued for Fuso because the name is (1) “suitable to represent Japan,” (2) a “simple Japanese name that symbolises Japan and Mitsubishi,” and has (3) “a smooth and familiar sound, which gives a clear image and stays in one’s mind.”

The word “Fuso” originally refers to a large sacred tree that was once said to be in the place of the sunrise in China. The word is now used as a name for the hibiscus flower. It is also said that it was used as a synonym for Japan in ancient China.

22C011_B46_first_bus copy-2.jpg

The first Fuso, the B46 bus was a 7-meter, 38-seater bus was equipped with a 7-litre, 6-cylinder, 100-horsepower gasoline engine.

In commemoration of the first delivery of the B46 type bus to the Ministry of Railways, “Fuso” was selected from among the internal proposals for its nickname.

Following the first vehicle, the nickname “Fuso” was used one after another for major products such as the gasoline engine 4-ton truck KT1 (1946), Japan’s first large cab over truck T380, and Japan’s first minibus, the Rosa (1960). In line with Japan’s high economic growth in 1950s – 70s, the product lineup includes a full range from small to large trucks and buses, playing an important part in economic development.

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