Fuso has announced it is exiting the new truck market in the USA and Canada.
Its U.S. and Canadian dealers will be offered the option to transition into parts and service locations and the company said it will offer parts and service support until 2028.
FTA says it will maintain its headquarters in Logan Township, in New Jersey and will maintain the majority of its small number of employees, believed to number less than 200 in the short term.
“Working with Fuso dealers, we have developed a strong team throughout the United States and Canada that always places the customer first,” said Justin Palmer, president and CEO, Fuso Truck of America.
“FTA is fully dedicated to making this transition a smooth one for our customers, and we remain committed in supporting a parts and service network for many years to come.”
The move will not surprise many given Fuso hardly bothered the scorer in North America and is at best a minor player in the USA
Fuso accounted for a miniscule 1400 diesel and gasoline powered light and medium duty trucks in North America last year, which was less than 5 per cent of the U.S.-Canada medium-duty truck market. By comparison Fuso was third in the overall Australian truck market and sold 3382 trucks here in 2019, well over double what it sold in North America, a market which is 20 times the size of Australia.
The Fuso’s service network will provide warranty repairs, maintenance services and replacement parts in America until 2028. The company also said it will continue to support all eCanter electric trucks operating in the U.S. Dealers in the U.S. and Canada will sell available trucks for a period of time.
Daimler AG owns the controlling stake in Fuso. Obviously it was once part of the Mitsubishi Motors corporation. For automotive historians you may remember that for a while, Mitsubishi and Chrysler were quite close. Mitsubishi purchased the Chrysler operation here in Australia when the ailing Corporation exited in 1980.
When the Mitsubishi’s commercial vehicle division became the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation in 2003, Daimler Chrysler had a stake in the new company, and the level of control eventually increased further over time. Then, when Daimler and Chrysler split, Daimler kept Fuso and folded the truck maker into its other commercial vehicle brands.
It is unlikely the exit of Fuso from the North American market will have any affect on its operations in Australia, or in any other markets it currently operates. Fuso sales.
