Hino played a safe straight bat at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show with not even the hint of an electric truck anywhere in sight, although the Toyota owned commercial vehicle maker did have an electric version of its Poncho midi urban bus on its diesel dominated stand.
Headlining the Hino display was its new flagship 700 series, the first update for the Hino heavy hitter in 14 years.
Hino says the 700 has undergone a first comprehensive model change with both new interior and exterior styling and a downsize in the engine department eschewing the old 13-litre power plant for Hino’s brilliant new nine litre AO9C which will be tuned to produce 380hp, which might still be a bit light on in Australia, but is part of the overall downsizing in engines amongst the Japanese makers, looking to reduce fuel consumption and obviously emissions under Japan’s 2016 emission standards. Hino also says the use of the nine litre means a significant weight saving for the truck as well.
Hino says the new 700 is equipped with advanced safety equipment including its PCS* pre-collision damage mitigation braking system which it says is capable of detecting pedestrians and a lane departure warning system provided as standard equipment.
Along with the 700 Hino featured its new 500 launched in Australia earlier this year as well as the Poncho EV bus and a 300 series Hybrid and the perennial Hino Team Sugawara Dakar rally truck