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Hino News

Step aside Ford Ranger Raptor and Nissan Pro-4X Warrior! This electric truck might be the most Aussie-flavoured vehicle being built today
By David Morley · 12 Apr 2022
It will perhaps come as a surprise, but in Australia, where you can walk into several brands of car dealerships and order a brand-new electric vehicle, truck buyers do not have the same choices.Despite the advantages of electrified trucks - and there are
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Hino admits to diesel emissions cheating: Toyota-owned brand pulls models from sale in Japan as investigation highlights testing irregularities
By Tim Nicholson · 08 Mar 2022
Commercial vehicle giant Hino has admitted to falsifying the results of emissions tests for a number of its engines in three Japanese-market models.Hino, which is owned by Toyota Motor Corporation, made the admission last Friday, and the brand's Tokyo hea
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Can China's Toyota HiLux rival continue to carry LDV?
By Stephen Ottley · 27 Feb 2021
We've written a lot in recent times about the rise and rise of Chinese brands in the Australian market.
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Defective Takata airbags trigger mandatory recall of 2.3 million vehicles
By Ron Hammerton · 28 Feb 2018
The Australian government has issued a compulsory recall of 2.3 million vehicles affected by faulty Takata airbags based on information provided from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
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Hino 500 goes auto
By James Stanford · 31 Mar 2012
Until now, drivers of the medium duty 500 models had no option but to change gears the traditional way despite automated transmissions increasing in popularity each year.  Called the ProShift 6, the new transmission is an automated version of the six-speed manual gearbox that is available as standard. It is a two-pedal system, which means the driver does not need to operate the clutch to get going or when coming to a halt, as is the case with some automated gearboxes.  The automated transmission will be available with the best-selling FC 1022 and FD 1124 500 Series to start with, but Hino Australia plans to make it available on heavier hauling models over time.  Hino Australia product chief, Alex Stewart, says the company needed to offer an automated option given the strong demand in the lower capacity end of the medium duty market.  "Over the last five years there has been an absolutely obvious trend of sales going in the direction of fully automatic or automated manual transmissions," he says.  "If you do a projection of those figures you can see that by 2015, 50 per cent of all trucks sold will be automated manuals or full automatic. If we didn't we would be missing out on a large section of the market." Stewart says not all customers are going to opt for the automated manual, despite its fuel economy advantages, because of a reduction in the gross combination mass (GCM), that is, the maximum weight of the truck, the load an the trailer.  "The FD 11-tonne truck has a GCM of 20 tonnes with a manual transmission, you put the automated manual in it and it has a GCM of 16 tonnes," explains Stewart. "That is pretty much normal for any manufacturer with an automated manual transmission."
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Tokyo Motor Show cuts down
By Peter Lyon · 14 Apr 2009
Just days after the cancellation of the British Motor Show, the first major international casualty of the global economic downturn, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association has decided to shorten this year's Tokyo show in October by four days.The decision for the 41st running of the event comes with a growing number of no-shows.In addition to America's big three _ Chrysler, Ford and General Motors _ the list of cancellations for 2009 runs to Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Renault, Lamborghini, Hino Motors, Isuzu, Mitsubishi Fuso (trucks and buses) and Nissan Diesel.All have blamed the economic slump and the list is expected to grow.Chinese and Korean carmakers will also stay away.That is why JAMA, which earlier this year seriously considered cancelling the show altogether, has also decided to downsize the area used from the normal four halls to possibly as few as two at the giant Makuhari Messe site in Chiba prefecture, one hour east of Tokyo.But all is not lost. According to one source close to Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker will inject extra effort into this year's show in an attempt to stimulate the market.The Toyota source says the production version of the V10-powered Lexus LF-A supercar will be held back from its planned debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show to star in Tokyo, while the company will also reveal a car rumoured to have been put on hold _ the Toyota-Subaru joint-venture rear-wheel drive sedan that employs an Impreza platform and drivetrain.Toyota will also display a full range of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles as well as the latest EV and battery technology.Originally scheduled to run from October 23 to November 8, the show's new closing date will be November 4. 
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School bus is new King
By Graham Smith · 14 Dec 2007
Australian bus-body builders are on alert after the arrival of the first bus with a body built in China by leading bus builder King Long China.The bus, built on an Iveco chassis, is the first of many expected to be imported by King Long Australia, which has a deal with the Chinese company to build its bodies.Dubbed the Australis, the King Long bus is designed to be used as a school or charter bus. In its base form it can seat 57 passengers, but can be extended to seat more, depending on customer needs.The Australis complies with ADRs and has modern styling, a marine-grade stainless-steel body frame, aluminium side panels and a one-piece fibreglass roof.It features seats rimmed in cloth to the customer's requirements, luggage racks with individual airconditioning outlets and reading lights.The ergonomically designed driver's cockpit has all controls within easy reach. It also has an adjustable seat, power windows, reversing sensors and a camera.“Rather than have a bus dedicated to school use, we chose a higher specification that was priced at the school-bus level yet could also be used for charter work,” King Long Australia's Adrian van Geelen says.The first bus to arrive in Australia was built on an Iveco chassis, but Long also builds on MAN, Mercedes-Benz and Hino chassis.He says King Long China can build and deliver buses at competitive prices, and quickly.Local bus-body builders can take more than a year to deliver a bus, but King Long can deliver a bus in as little as three months.“At the moment you have to wait as long as 18 months to get a new bus,” van Geelen says.“King Long builds more than 20,000 buses a year, that's one bus every 15 minutes, which means we can take an order for a bus and deliver it in a month or two.”King Long Australia has established a service and spare parts network to support the buses it sells.A two-year warranty applies to the body of the Australis, with the chassis covered by its manufacturer.According to van Geelen, the market for school buses alone this year was 450, which has put pressure on local body builders.It also gives King Long Australia an opportunity to establish a foothold for its buses. 
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Hino's IFS a comfort aid
By Graham Smith · 08 May 2007
Instead of the conventional rigid axle and leaf springs slung under the front of just about every truck on the market, including the rest of the 300 range, the Hino 3614 has a double wishbone arrangement with coil springs, much the same as you find under your average family four-door.The car-like suspension set-up is used to provide the driver with more ride comfort than the rigid axle can, and works a treat with much-reduced bump impact over the sort of surfaces you find around most towns.It's not really designed to handle the rough going as the rigid axle set-up is, but if you're a tradie or small businessman working around town and driving on reasonably good roads most of the time, it's worth considering.Coupled with the coil spring IFS is rack-and-pinion steering, giving the 3614 greater precision and stability. The result is a much more car-like performance.The 3614 has a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 500kg but can be derated to 4495kg so it can be driven on a car licence if needed. The front axle loading drops from 2180kg to 2060kg with the IFS.A narrow cab provides reasonable accommodation for three burly workers on a neat cloth-trimmed bench seat, the centre back of which can be lowered to form a working surface complete with a couple of drink holders when the third seat isn't in use.The Hino cab is the most modern of the small trucks presently on offer. It's nicely designed and well laid-out with good-quality plastics and fittings that make it a pleasant place to spend the working hours.It has plenty of features, including standard airconditioning, power windows, a good-quality sound system with CD player and all controls nicely within reach.Beating away under the cab is Hino's Euro 4-compliant 4.0-litre turbodiesel, which pumps out 103kW at 2700rpm and 364Nm at 1800rpm. On the road it has plenty of get up and go when asked to accelerate, but at the same time is very flexible and will lug from 1000rpm without complaint.It's hooked up to a five-speed gearbox that's quite low-geared in the lower ratios but which in the higher gears allows it to build some decent momentum.The five-speed is a carry-over from the Dutro and the shift is clunky, particularly compared to the new six-speed fitted to the wide-cab models with their more powerful engine.The 3614 is also equipped with a driver's airbag, seatbelt pretensioners and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, which also includes Electronic Brake Force Distribution for even more effective braking.Like all 300 models equipped with manual transmission, the 3614 features Easy Start, an electronic device that holds it momentarily while the driver moves off and prevents it from rolling back in those few seconds he's fumbling between brake, clutch and gas pedals.It can be adjusted to come off quickly if you're on relatively flat roads or more slowly if you're driving in hilly terrain. It works well and adds to the driving safety.To enjoy the comfort of the IFS-equipped 300 you'll need to part with $45,740.
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Economy runner
By Graham Smith · 06 Aug 2006
The Dutro in question is the first diesel/electric hybrid truck to enter service in Australia. It has been running regular parcel delivery duties alongside similar diesel-powered trucks as both TNT and Hino assess its potential to reduce both greenhouse gases and fuel consumption. Hino claims the Hybrid Dutro reduces fuel consumption by 30 per cent while cutting NOx emissions by a huge 66 per cent and CO2 by 25 per cent. To date, the truck has accumulated 44,000km — and according to TNT's national fleet and equipment manager Paul Wild, it hasn't given a moment's trouble. Wild says that while the fuel consumption is reduced, the saving isn't likely to be sufficient to cover the extra cost of purchasing the truck. Even so, he says the benefits it delivers in reducing greenhouse gas emissions must be considered against the extra outlay. Because companies such as TNT are becoming more community-minded and have a greener outlook, the extra cost is readily justified by the benefits of reduced greenhouse gases and particulate emissions, Wild says. It's of particular benefit in city and suburban areas where this truck is operating. The Hybrid Hino is a fourth-generation diesel-electric truck that has been in production in Japan since 2003. It uses a combination of a normal turbo-diesel engine and an electric motor, which combine to provide the motive power in the most efficient manner depending on the mode of operation at any time. At four litres, the 110kW four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine is smaller than what would normally be used to power a similar-sized truck; the 243Nm electric motor makes up for the performance loss because of the smaller main motor. The diesel engine powers the truck when it is at its most efficient, which is when the truck is cruising. It's then using less fuel and emitting less toxic gases from the tail pipe, but when the truck is accelerating and the diesel motor is at its least efficient and its most toxic, the electric motor chimes in to provide extra punch, reducing the load on the diesel and providing the zip to keep up with the traffic. With both motors working in tandem, the overall result is 30 per cent lower fuel consumption, while NOx is down 66 per cent and CO2 is down 25 per cent. To keep the nickel-hydrogen batteries replenished, the electric motor becomes a generator when the truck is decelerating and charges up the power pack. Brake wear is also reduced through the use of regenerative braking, which uses the electric motor to assist in the braking effort. Not only is the brake life extended, but the emission of brake pad dust into the environment is significantly reduced, further enhancing the Hybrid's environmental credentials. The TNT drivers who have been assigned to drive the future freighter have all warmly embraced the technology in the truck. The only aspect they've had to become accustomed to is the engine stopping while they're stationary. It's one of the quirks of the hybrid, but one that makes a huge contribution to its fuel saving and reduction emissions. Whenever the truck comes to rest, the engine stops instead of idling but it takes time for drivers to get used to the idea that there is nothing wrong, that when they engage the clutch when the light goes green, the engine will start immediately and they can move away normally. Hino is currently in the process of having the Hybrid Dutro approved for sale and expects to have it on the market here in September.
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New Shrike still lacks grunt
By Patrick Lyons · 28 Jan 1994
The cab interior and self-levelling air suspension seat were superb. The cab was also very quiet inside and spacious, a very good workplace with plenty of places to stow things. The standard AM/FM radio had a very good sound and a scan button located on the dash close to the steering wheels to save fiddling with the dial while driving.  On the road, I found the new naturally aspirated 9.8-litre engine was quite a lot stronger than the one it replaced in the Hino GS221, but still well below American competitors.  The loaded test truck took 19 seconds from a standing start to reach 40kmh, 39 to reach 60kmh and 75 to reach 80. The old-fashioned Fuller RT6613 gearbox was very busy with the full load in the tipper.  The little box shifted beautifully, but the 6613 would be a challenge for many of the young players currently driving that class of vehicle. Steering and maneuverability were excellent around town but a bit light on the open road.  The cabin was hard to lift I raised it to check maintenance access. Hino (and other manufacturers) have put sound shields around the engine to reduce noise. There were panels under and at the sides of the engine and even under the gearbox. The side panels inhibited access to the engine and would probably end up being discarded after getting in the way several times.  Manufacturers are going to have to learn to design sound and splash shields that are easily removable or that are attached to the cab rather than the chassis rail so they get out of the way when the cab is raised. In summary, the Shrike is a good around-town truck that is quite pleasant to drive and well made.  It is a big improvement over the old GS221 which it replaces but is still down on power compared with its Cummins powered American competitors.
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