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THE FUSO AT 90
The little truck that could do everything celebrates its 90th anniversary
The origin of the iconic FUSO name dates back to May 1932, when Mitsubishi’s first bus, the “B46 type shared car”, manufactured at the Kobe Shipyard of the former Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, was branded FUSO. Remarkably, the name was suggested by an engineer at the shipyard inspired by a large sacred tree - and is now used as a name for the hibiscus flower. The 7m, 38-seater bus was equipped with a 7-liter, 6-cylinder and 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 continued to be used thereafter 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-1970s, the product lineup soon included a full range from small to large trucks and buses, playing an important part in economic development. MFTBC, the manufacturer of the FUSO branded commercial vehicles, was born when Mitsubishi Motors Corporation separated its commercial vehicle division from the passenger car business back in 2003, to become a part of the former Daimler Chrysler company. In 2004, MFTBC joined Daimler Chrysler’s Commercial Vehicles segment.
Today, FUSO manufactures a full range of commercial vehicles including light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks and buses and industrial engines for over 170 markets worldwide. With a workforce of more than 11.000 employees, FUSO is an integral part of the global truck & bus portfolio of Daimler Truck AG and a key pillar of the company’s business operation in the Asian hemisphere. In 2021, FUSO strongly contributed to Daimler Truck’s significant sales increase with overall unit sales of more than 125,000 units, representing over a quarter of the group’s global unit sales. The leading light of the modern range is undoubtedly the legendary FUSO Canter, a light-duty truck which is highly regarded around the world and holds top market shares in many countries. Since its market launch in 1963, over 4.5 million FUSO Canter have been produced worldwide. In 2021, FUSO launched the new generation of the Canter with advanced safety, comfort and design features.
With and annual production worldwide at around 140,000 units, the Fuso Canter has proven to be an international hit in the lightduty truck sector and easily the best-selling truck model at Daimler Trucks. In the Middle East, the new Canter offers a wide range of variants. There are two different cab widths available: the streamlined standard cabs (S),
which are just 1695 mm wide and suitable for use in restricted spaces, and comfort cabs measuring 1995 mm in width.In addition, the wide cabin will also be aavailable with a crew cabin option - fitting up to seven persons. Two different axle configuration in 4x2 and 4x4 variants with a wide range of permissible gross vehicle weight spectrum from 5.7 to 8.55t, the Fuso Canter range covers all the key segments for light-duty trucks. Soon, an automated manual transmission (AMT) with six speeds will as well be launched on the new Canter range in conjunction with the 6.5t weight variant.
In 2020, the FUSO Canter Euro 5 was launched in the UAE, and became the only light duty Euro 5 truck as series production available at that time. Robust and durable design, developed for Euro V emission norms it features low fuel consumption and higher payloads. The new generation is cleaner and more fuel-efficient than the previous models and providing the highest eco-friendliness and maximum efficiency with reduced fuel consumption compared to previous generations. Several measures were implemented into the newly-designed common-rail 4P10 engine with 2,998ccm which is available in two engine outputs with 96 kW (130 hp) and 110 kW (150 hp). Both engines offer a flat torque curve with 300Nm and 370Nm at 1,300rpm. In all models, the Euro V emission norm is achieved through EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) sytem and diesel particulate filter which is configured for the vehicle’s lifetime and is maintenance-free, meaning that it never needs to be cleaned or replaced. Higher torque and lower RPM means lesser strain on engine and longer engine life.
THE BUS THAT STARTED IT ALL
The B46 bus was nicknamed the FUSO back in the 1930s and was soon used for the entire brand by Mitsubishi.
With the newly available Euro V emission, less CO2 and NOx are emitted and the carbon footprint is reduced, and it is overfulflling the local emission norm compulsory in the UAE.
Special features of the Canter range include the variant with manually selectable all-wheel drive with a permissible GVW of up to 6.5t, a 2.0m-wide comfort cab and an engine output of 129kW (175 hp). Features for the Canter 4x4 include the standard-fit engageable reduction gear. This reduces the maximum speed in the respective gears by a factor of 1.987 and also increases traction by this amount. A crew cabin option will also be available on the model.
The range also offers a number of new safety systems compared to the further product generations: from ABS (Antilock Braking
1963
System) to EBD (electronic brake force distribution) to driver and co-driver airbags and tubeless tyres. The standard braking system is equipped with disc brakes on both axles which guarantees superior braking performance & heat dissipation under continuous heavy braking. The Canter with the highest GVW is equipped with drum brakes at the rear axle. The standard Exhaust Brake System (EBS) valve is fitted on the turbo charger outlet. This system uses the vehicle exhaust gas to create a back pressure to slow down the engine enabling the vehicle’s stability and reduces stress on service brakes when driving downhill. Therefore, the maintenance costs of the vehicle are reduced.
In 2017, FUSO introduced the first generation eCanter, a pioneering all-electric light-duty truck from which more than 350 units are in customer hands in Japan, Europe and North America. These vehicles have already covered more than 4.5mn kilometers and are tailor-made for inner-city distribution transport and last-mile requirements, it builds on the current generation with increased power, efficiency, electric range and variants.
Summing up this year’s celebration of 90 years of FUSO, Karl Deppen, CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation and commented: “This anniversary signifies our stakeholders’ ongoing faith in our products, technologies, and services. As the automobile sector strives for decarbonization, we at MFTBC are part of the solution. We showed this commitment with our original all-electric eCanter in 2017 and our next generation model will provide e-mobilty solutions to an even broader range of customers.”
MARKET LEADERSHIP IN IMPORTANT MARKETS
FUSO is playing a vital role for Daimler Truck in some of the most important commercial vehicle markets in Asia. In Indonesia, for example, FUSO has a leading position for more than five decades with a market share of 46.7% in 2021. In Taiwan, FUSO has a share of market of approx. 33.6% - being the market leader for more than 30 years. FUSO also took the number one spot in New Zealand, where recovering demand, a growing dealership network, and an infusion of new models contributed to a market share of 19.7% in the past year. But FUSO is also a success story on European roads. In the EU30 market region, FUSO recorded a 10-year high in sales volume, claiming the top market share in the light-duty truck segment up to 10 tons, at 37.1%.
