Hino Motors

Infobox_Company
company_name = Hino Motors, Ltd.
日野自動車
company_
company_type = Public (tyo2|7205)
company_slogan =
company_vision =
parent = Toyota Motor Corporation
foundation = May 1 1942
location = flagicon|JPN Hino-shi, Tokyo Japan
key_people = Shoji Kondo, President
Tadaaki Jagawa, Chairman of Board
industry = Trucks and buses
num_employees = 9,507 (March 2006) | revenue = ¥1,196,972m (March 2006)
homepage = [http://www.hino.co.jp/j Hino.co.jp]

Hino Motors, Ltd. (日野自動車, "Hino Jidōsha", tyo|7205 ), commonly known as simply Hino, is a manufacturer of diesel trucks, buses, and other vehicles based in Tokyo, Japan. Since 1973 the company has been the leading producer of medium and heavy-duty diesel trucks in Japan.Fact|date=September 2008 It is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation.

History

The company traces its roots back to the founding of Tokyo Gas Industry Company in 1910 (today it is two companies; Tokyo Gas Company and Tokyo Electric Power; TG&E). It produced its first motor vehicle in 1913, the Model TGE "A-Type" truck. In 1937 TG&E merged its automobile division with that of Automobile Industry Co., Ltd. and Kyodo Kokusan K.K. to form Tokyo Automobile Industry Co., Ltd., with TG&E as a shareholder. Four years later the company changed its name to Diesel Motor Industry Co., Ltd. which would eventually become Isuzu Motors Limited.

The following year (1942), the new entity of Hino Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. spun itself out from Diesel Motor Industry Co., Ltd., and the Hino name was born. Following the end of World War II, the company had to stop producing large diesel engines for marine applications, and with the signing of the treaty, the company dropped the "Heavy" from its name and formally concentrated on the heavy-duty trailer-trucks, buses and diesel engines markets, as Hino Industry Co., Ltd.

To sharpen its marketing focus to customers, in 1948, the company added the name "Diesel" to become Hino Diesel Industry Co., Ltd.In 1953, Hino entered the private car market by manufacturing Renaults under licence, and in 1961 it started building its own Contessa 900 sedan with an 893cc rear-mounted engine. The Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti redesigned the Contessa line in 1964 with a 1300cc rear-mounted engine. This developed 60hp (44 kW) in the sedan and 70hp (51kW) in the coupé version. However, Hino ceased private car production very quickly in 1967 after joining the Toyota group.

Hino Trucks were also assembled in The Republic of Ireland with CKD in the late 70s.

Hybrid Vehicles

Hino motors sells hybrid version of some vehicles and plans includes Further improvement and expanded sales of hybrid systems [ [http://www.hino.co.jp/e/pressrelease/press.html Hino: Press Releases ] ]

Wireless Charging

Hino, is testing a new kind of hybrid electric vehicle without a plug (outboard charging electric vehicle). The energy in the batteries doesn't come from a plug and charging point, it comes from a wireless charging system built into the road. A series of induction coils built into the road resonate energy at certain frequency, like radio waves. The bus is able to capture those waves and store the energy in its batteries [http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1431/] .

Products

Trucks

* Profia (previously Super Dolphin Profia), sold as Hino 700 for export - heavy duty truck

* Bonneted medium truck (for North America) - coded Hino 600.

* Dutro - light truck,hybrid vehicle version available.

* Ranger 2 FA, FB, FC - light trucks replaced by Dutro.

* Ranger - also sold as Hino 500, medium to heavy truck
** The Ranger KL was first introduced in 1969
** The 2nd generation was launched in 1980
** The 3rd generation of 1989 is called Rising Ranger and Cruising Ranger.
** The latest 4th generation (Ranger Pro) came in 2002, Hybrid vehicle version available.

:The first generation Ranger KL spawned into KM, KR, and other variants. In Australia.

:Hino has competed in the Dakar Rally since 1991 with a Ranger FT 4WD truck driven by the Japanese rally driver, Yoshimasa Sugawara. Hino has always finished in the Top 10 in the Camion Category, and 1-2-3 overall in the 1997 event.

Buses

* Poncho - Non Step light bus
* Liesse & Liesse II - light bus
** The Liesse II is a rebadged Toyota Coaster.
* Blue Ribbon & Blue Ribbon II- city bus
** The Blue Ribbon II is a rebadged Isuzu Erga.
* Rainbow & Rainbow II - medium bus
** The Rainbow II is a rebadged Isuzu Erga Mio.
* Melpha - medium bus
* S'elega - luxury bus
** The new model is offered as High Decker and Super High Decker.
* Front-engine chassis (e.g. FB) - light bus
* Front-engine chassis (AK) - big bus
* Mid-engine chassis (BG, BX) - big bus
* Rear-engine chassis (RC, RG, RM, RK, RU) - big bus

* Contessa, passenger car built in 1960s

Affiliates/Subsidiaries

* Hino Motors Manufacturing U.S.A
* Hino Motors Sales U.S.A.

References

External links

Global

* [http://www.hino.co.jp/e/ Company website] (English)
* [http://www.hino.co.jp/j/ Company website] (Japanese)
* [http://www.HinoSamurai.org/ HinoSamurai.org] (Research Center of Historic and Existing Hino Contessa & Hino Samurai Cars, English and Japanese)

Overseas offices

* [http://www.hinointl.com/ Hino Motors Manufacturing U.S.A.,Inc. (U.S.A)] .
* [http://www.hino.com/ Hino Diesel Trucks Inc. (U.S.A)] .
* [http://www.hino.co.id/ Hino Indonesia]
* [http://www.hino.be/default.aspx Hino Motors N.V. (Europe)] .
* [http://www.hinopak.com/ Hinopak Motors Limited (Pakistan)] .
* [http://www.pilipinashino.com/ Pilipinas Hino Incorporated (Philippines)]