Three years after its unveiling, Hino has announced the Poncho will be launched in Australia in October.
The Poncho is Hino’s seven metre minibus with room to seat 22 with a further 10 standing and fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act.
Powered by a Euro-V direct-injected JO5E-TS 5.1 litre engine, the Poncho puts out 180 horsepower and 530Nm with a five-speed automatic transmission.
Manager of product safety at Hino Australia, Daniel Petrovski said the Poncho is ideal for for a range of applications.
“The flexible internal layout can be easily configured to suit customer and community needs, and the bus has extra safety features like the safety door with buzzer and the reversing camera with audio function,” Petrovski said.
“This is not a converted van, the Poncho is designed as a bus; it has a rear-mounted 5.1-litre turbocharged intercooled engine and five-speed fully-automatic transmission, as well as air suspension with kneeling function,” he added.
While pricing is yet to be announced, the Poncho will go on sale at this year’s Sydney Coach and Bus show.
