100 YEARS OF BUILDING TRUCKS HAS TAUGHT US ONE THING: WE’RE NEVER DONE LEARNING.

Building on 35 years experience and reputation as #1 in the Japanese heavy- and medium-duty truck market, Hino Motors, Ltd. is now the fastest growing truck manufacturer in the U.S.

 

 

What you might not know is that the Hino Brand is almost 80 years old and is recognized globally as one of the largest truck manufactures in the world. In fact, chances are, if you've ever ridden public transport in Australia, Japan, New Zealand or Korea, you were probably on a Hino Bus!

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1986

 

 

 

 

1987

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1993

1984 in the United States was a time of promise.  Ronald Reagan began his second term as President looking to build on a successful first term. The world’s best athletes arrived in Los Angeles for the 1984 Olympic Games. 1984 also marked the arrival of Hino Trucks into the U.S. market.

 

Coming to America. Hino’s American story begins three years before Hino trucks were available for sale in the United States. In 1981, the U.S. air base in Yokota, Japan bought two Hino RE deluxe touring buses for use in recreation outings and long-distance sightseeing tours for the families of U.S. Air Force personnel stationed at the base. This break with long-standing policy of U.S. armed forces in Japan to use only American brands in bus transportation was a result of American recognition of the quality of the Hino product. It would soon be time to seize the opportunity to provide this quality to the rest of the American market.

 

Hino marked its introduction to the U.S. market when the first fully assembled FF175 rolled off the assembly line on August 4th, 1983. Hino had the product, but it still needed a manufacturing and distribution presence in the United States. This was addressed with the establishment of Hino America Distributor Incorporated (HADI), and then later Hino Diesel Trucks (HDT). Hino Diesel Trucks would become the sole distributor in 1986.

 

With a unified focus, Hino concentrated efforts during its first decade on building brand recognition and the outstanding reputation that it had already gained in other markets across the world. Hino initiated a number of strategies to jump-start sales momentum, including multiple trips to the Hino Motors, Ltd. headquarters in Japan for successful dealers. It gained national visibility through presence at tradeshows such as the SAE Expo where it had a chance to flex its engineering muscle. 1990 would also mark a new chapter for HDT as it opened a new U.S. headquarters in Orangeburg, New York.

 

1900

1950

1984

My FE17s performed beautifully I have owned 14 Hinos and loved every one of them.

Stan Sacco, Sacco’s Transport

1918: Toykyo Gas and Electric independently designs and produces the TGE-A

1946: Hino Commences marketing of heavy duty trailer type diesel trucks and diesel engines.

1961: "HINO CONTESSA 900", a passenger vehicle, was introduced.

1964

HINO RANGER KM - first 3.5-ton medium-duty truck, was introduced.

1983

Hino Motors Ltd. (HML) held a ceremony to kick off shipping its 1st medium-duty diesel truck to the U.S. at the FF line of the Hino plant.

1990

Hino celebrates new offices in Orangeburg, New York.

They just don’t seem to break down.  I can’t recall performing anything other than routine maintenance on any of them.” Steven Athens, Eder Brothers, Westhaven, CT.

1994

1994

1995

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1997

 

 

 

1998

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2000

2001

2002

2003

Hino’s second decade in the U.S. market coincided with the explosion of the information superhighway we all know as the world-wide web. It also featured athletes O.J. Simpson and Tiger Woods making headlines for completely different reasons. While the fear of the Y2K bug that never materialized caused many to prepare for difficult times, no one could prepare themselves for the tragic events that occurred on September 11th, 2001.

 

Coming to America. Hino’s American story begins three years before Hino trucks were available for sale in the United States. In 1981, the U.S. air base in Yokota, Japan bought two Hino RE deluxe touring buses for use in recreation outings and long-distance sightseeing tours for the families of U.S. Air Force personnel stationed at the base. This break with long-standing policy of U.S. armed forces in Japan to use only American brands in bus transportation was a result of American recognition of the quality of the Hino product. It would soon be time to seize the opportunity to provide this quality to the rest of the American market.

 

Hino marked its introduction to the U.S. market when the first fully assembled FF175 rolled off the assembly line on August 4th, 1983. Hino had the product, but it still needed a manufacturing and distribution presence in the United States. This was addressed with the establishment of Hino America Distributor Incorporated (HADI), and then later Hino Diesel Trucks (HDT). Hino Diesel Trucks would become the sole distributor in 1986.

 

With a unified focus, Hino concentrated efforts during its first decade on building brand recognition and the outstanding reputation that it had already gained in other markets across the world. Hino initiated a number of strategies to jump-start sales momentum, including multiple trips to the Hino Motors, Ltd. headquarters in Japan for successful dealers. It gained national visibility through presence at tradeshows such as the SAE Expo where it had a chance to flex its engineering muscle. 1990 would also mark a new chapter for HDT as it opened a new U.S. headquarters in Orangeburg, New York.

 

2000

J.D. Power and Associates ranked Hino “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Cab-over Medium Duty Trucks”.

2003

 Joint venture with Penske Automotive Corp. Hino’s full-scale entry into US market begins.

Officially opened National Parts Distribution Center in Memphis, TN. Combined locations in NY and CA to strengthen parts supply system for dealers.

2007

Began producing conventional models at the Williamstown, West Virginia plant.

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2005

2006

2007

 

 

 

2008

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2010

2011

 

An American success. Hino began its third decade in the U.S. market with a new conventional model product lineup designed specifically to meet the demands of the American marketplace. With the U.S. medium-duty truck business predominantly a conventional market, Hino was now able to immediately compete and win over a much larger customer base. This customer base didn’t take long to notice as the company experienced record sales.

 

Hino moves assembly operations to Williamstown, WV where it would also make an additional $3 million investment in 2012. This move would give Hino the production capacity it needed to meet the strong demand being generated for the Hino product. Earlier in the decade, Hino had also opened a National Parts Distribution Center in Memphis, TN to centralize and strengthen parts supply capabilities.

 

 

 

The perseverance of the Hino Team and its dealer network began to pay off in the latter part of the decade. Beginning in 2010, Hino reported strong year-over-year truck sales growth as its SCR technology proved to be a winner in meeting the stringent EPA 2010 regulations. This growth was aided by the long-awaited re-launch of its cab-over model, the model 195/195h in 2012. Along the way Hino amassed numerous industry awards for customer satisfaction and new product excellence. Hino completed its third decade with more dealer points and more Hino Trucks on the roads of America than at any time in its history, setting the stage for what promises to be a very bright future.

 

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2012

Hino introduces the first Diesel-Electric Hybrid Medium Duty Truck to America

2005

2010

Hino introduces industry-leading 5 year/250,000 mile extended engine warranty.

2013

Hino 195h model  “Truck of the Year” by the American Truck Dealers Association (ATD).

2010

Hino 268 model awarded “Truck of the Year” by the American Truck Dealers Association (ATD).

2008

J.D. Power & Associates award for Medium-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction

2018

Hino Trucks Enters into Class 8 with Diligence

2018

Considering our remarkable success in Class 4-7 in North America, and our growing global presence in the Class 8 market, entering the North American heavy duty segment made sense as the next logical step. Hino Trucks unveiled a new line of trucks at the 2018 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, IN. Carrying the name Hino XL Series, this all-new lineup rounds out Hino Trucks Class 7 product offering and launches them into the Class 8 market for the first time in the U.S.

 

In August of 2019, after outgrowing our Williamstown plant, we invested $100MM and moved manufacturing to a new, state-of-the-art facility in Mineral Wells, WV.  With over 470 employees and growing we're able to increase our capacity here for many years to come.

 

2019

Hino Moves Manufacturing to Mineral Wells

2019

In October of 2019, Hino unified its entire lineup of trucks, including model names. The new ‘M Series’ Class 4/5 COE’s and new ‘L Series’ Class 6/7 Conventional trucks, which combined with Hino’s recently launched ‘XL Series’ Class 7/8 vehicles, creates a cohesive family of commercial trucks.

 

Hino Trucks announced, Project Z, the Company’s development path to zero emissions vehicles (ZEV), ranging from class 4 to class 8. Showcasing the most comprehensive line-up of zero emissions trucks and partnering with technology leaders in advanced electrification drive systems.

 

2020

Hino Trucks Announces “Project Z” – Paving the Path to Zero Emissions

2020

Hino 338 Medium Duty Truck Chassis

L SERIES

Hino 195 Hybrid Truck Chassis - Double Cab

XL SERIES

XL7 33,000 GVW

 

XL8  62,000 GVW

L6   25,950 GVW

 

L7   33,000 GVW

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