Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus will export five strategic trucks built in India to Bangladesh, Indonesia and around a dozen other countries by the end of the year.
According to the Nikkei, the trucks, developed and produced in cooperation with German parent Daimler are planned as key income generators that will help Fuso meet the global sales target of 200,000 vehicles by 2015.
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The vehicles will be launched at the rate of at least one market a month, including such African countries as Tanzania and Mauritius. They were released in Sri Lanka, Kenya and Zambia last year.
One of the trucks is based on Fuso’s Canter light duty commercial vehicle, and the other on the Fighter medium duty truck. The remaining three are based on large Mercedes-Benz models. They are built in a Daimler factory in Chennai using as many local parts as possible to keep costs low.
Fuso offers light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks in Indonesia and elsewhere, and the new models fall between these three categories in terms of engine displacement and cargo capacity. With an expanded lineup and low prices, the company seeks to develop the Asian and African markets, the Nikkei said.
But competition in these emerging economies is growing. Volvo group unit UD Trucks [once Nissan Diesel] builds vehicles in Thailand and China for sale in Asia and Africa while Toyota unit Hino Motors as well as Isuzu Motors are increasing capacity at plants in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia.
