With a major supply issue starting to bite for Japanese truck maker Hino , there is one bright spot for the Toyota controlled truck brand while they wait for some level of light and medium duty truck stock, and that it in heavy duty.
At a recent press briefing in Darin Hino unveiled its expanded 700 Series range, which sees a number of new model variants, and some improvements in GCMs that the truck makers believes will help it tackle markets that the previous 700 series models weren’t competitive in.
The updated 700 series has some minot cosmetic changes , however it is under the skin where most of the changes and improvements can be appreciated.
With the 700 Series totally Euro 6 compliant and therefore Abe to be sold in Australia when our new ADRs kick in fully on 1 November.
The updated 700 also gets a new automated manual transmission (AMT), which has been developed in house by Hino.
Hino launched the current 700 Series in 2021 in Euro 6 emissions compliant form, which Petrovski rightly claims, was well ahead of when it was even legislated in Australia.
With the non Euro 6 compliant Hino 300 light duty models and 500 series medium duty range having their engine emission development delayed because of the massive strife Hino found itself in following the fuel and emission fraud scandals in Japan and the USA, the Hino Australia team will be putting a lot of their gaming chips on the upgraded 700.
From a range of 19 variants, the upgraded range will from October boast 34 variants giving the company more ammunition to hit more and varied targets.
The Hino 700 series range will be stretched with three variants using Hino’s excellent nine litre turbo diesel A09C engine in A09C-VN specification, including the FH1836 4×2, the FS2636 6×4 and the FY3036 8×4 models. The nine litre produces a healthy 265kW of power and 1569Nm of torque, while there will be two variants powered by the bigger Hino E13C 13-litre, with two versions of the FS2845 with the bigger engine delivering 331kW of power and 2157Nm of torque.
In an effort to make the 700 Series as appealing as it can to a wide range of applications Hino will offer it with the choice of either steel leaf spring or airbags on the drive axles, while there appears to be a plethora of wheelbase options to enhance that attractiveness for various applications and bodies configurations.
Hino’s new M112 12-speed AMT is based on its well developed and proven manual 12-speed manual. Hint claims this makes it the only one of the four Japanese makers selling hereto offer a fully integrated driveline in Australia.
Hino also informed us that the new 700 Series will continue to be offered with the option of an Allison automatic, as well as the excellent the ZF sourced Traxon AMT.
“The 700 Series range now offers a solution for almost any heavy- duty application with eleven additional models on sale from October,” said Hino’s manager of product strategy, Daniel Petrovski, .
“With its wide gear ratio and selection spread, the two-pedal 12-speed AMT will be an excellent choice for heavy rigid operations in extra urban and regional applications,” said Petrovski.
“It will also appeal to rigid truck operators who need to tow a trailer and to customers seeking a fuel-efficient high performance rigid truck solution for highway and hilly operations,” he said.
“The FS2845 is available with an airbag or leaf spring drive axle and will fill a gap in the market for council tippers and/or civil works customers that require regular towing of a pig or dog trailer,” said Petrovski.
Petrovski also told us that it will also have a new FS2848 12-speed AMT airbag suspension model that he says will be well matched for fleet operators looking for a single trailer prime mover.
Along with offering an integrated driveline, the changes also allow the brand to better target tipper and tanker markets with the revised trucks offering an increased GCM of 45 tonnes, which is up from 36 tonnes, for the first time ever in this country.
“The 700 Series range now offers a solution for almost any heavy-duty application with eleven additional models on sale from October,” said Petrovski.
“We’ll be able to get into more of these applications, and council tippers we see as a big one, because the 12-speed gives us more GCM.
“Taking the GCM from 36 to 45 tonnes might not seem like a lot, but a lot of council tenders must have a 45-tonne GCM.”
Hino also claims the new model 700s will have the most comprehensive safety package ever offered on a Hino.
Hino says its ‘SmartSafe’ package is standard, and is a comprehensive safety package of driver assist technologies that it claims takes an active focus on protecting the lives of drivers, passengers and other road users.
Hino says SmartSafe includes a Pre-Collision System (PCS) with Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Driver Monitor (DM), Pedestrian Detection (PD), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Reverse Camera and a suite of other standard safety features.
The company was also at pains to point out that along with all its new trucks in Australia , the 700 gets is supported from Hino Advantage, which it says is a suite of business solutions that are designed to reduce costs over the life of the vehicle.
Hino says this includes Hino-Connect which is standard on all 700 Series and is is an Australian built and designed system that provides customers with real-time vehicle and driver performance data, fuel usage reports, maintenance tracking and fleet security alerts.
Hino says its Hino-Connect allows direct communications with drivers through the truck’s multimedia unit in the unlikely event of a severe vehicle fault nd says this is an an Australian first,
The company reckons this alert will open a case, which is managed by Hino-Connect Specialists who will liaise between the customer, driver and dealer to track and oversee the progress of the repair or maintenance.
“Other Hino Advantage solutions include Hino SmartSafe, Capped Price Servicing, Hino Genuine Parts, 24/7 Hino Roadside Assist, our finance options, and customer support provisions via our Customer Care Centre,” Petrovski concluded.
Hino says the updated 700 Series models will come with a three-year or 500,000km standard warranty (whichever comes first), and the option of extending the warranty to five-years.
