Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation is pleased to announce that the year 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the light-duty Canter truck.

The first generation Canter entered the light-duty truck segment for the first time in March 1963 as the T720 cab-over type model boasting a design providing a wide field of view and easy operability. Named the Canter to conjure the image of a sturdy but nimble horse, it was highly acclaimed as the best in its class for its excellent driving performance and economy.

Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (Headquarters: Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, President and CEO: Karl Deppen, hereafter “MFTBC”) is pleased to announce that the year 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the light-duty Canter truck. The first generation Canter entered the light-duty truck segment for the first time in March 1963 as the T720 cab-over type model boasting a design providing a wide field of view and easy operability. Named the Canter to conjure the image of a sturdy but nimble horse, it was highly acclaimed as the best in its class for its excellent driving performance and economy.

Since the 1960s, the Canter has expanded its sales around the world and has led the light-duty truck segment in the global market. In Indonesia, one of the first overseas FUSO markets, the truck has maintained the top market share in the light-duty segment for the past 48 years. Currently, knock-down production is carried out in 12 overseas markets. In Indonesia, knock-down production has been carried out for the past 48 years, and in Taiwan, it has continued for 40. Furthermore, sales of the Canter have expanded into Africa, Central and South America, and the Middle East, with built-up vehicles being exported to over 60 countries around the world. Combining knock-down production locations and export markets, the Canter is now sold in over 70 countries around the world.

Throughout the truck’s long history, the Canter has represented the FUSO brand and MFTBC’s dedication to standing as a pioneering presence for customers, societies, and the transportation industry. Carrying on the legacy of the past decades, MFTBC launched Japan's first series-produced electric light-duty truck, the eCanter, in the light-duty truck segment in 2017. With the fully remodeled next-generation model of the allelectric truck to be introduced to markets in 2023, MFTBC and the FUSO Canter will continue running on a path of innovation.

The Canter is also featured in the coffee table book "Iconic Trucks", available from Asian Trucker via www.iconictrucks.asia

In applications with loads of more than 80Mpa, plain bearings made of thermoplastic materials can be pushing their limits. igus has expanded the existing range of standard plain bearings with the new igutex fibre wound plain bearing series.  The series displays its strength in heavy-duty areas such as construction machinery or hoists. The latest development in the product family is the material igutex TX3. It offers an even higher running performance with high dynamic forces than previous igutex bearings. 

With the igutex product family, igus has developed plain bearings made from high-strength fibre wound materials. They are used where very high loads occur and where injection-moulded plain bearings may reach their load limits. "This can be construction machinery, the agricultural industry or applications in container cranes or in the offshore sector," explains Uwe Sund, Product Manager for Heavy-Duty Bearings at igus GmbH. Extremely strong filaments and their special winding technology structure ensure maximum resilience. A robust fibreglass fabric serves as the outer shell, while a tribologically optimised inner layer reduces friction on the shaft and gives a smooth gliding surface. "Our igutex materials are ideal in applications that have to absorb up to 200MPa," explains Sund. With the new igutex TX3, igus has now developed a material that offers an even longer service life, especially under extreme dynamic loads and where increasing and decreasing loads may occur, for example, in the hydraulic connections of excavator shovels. igutex TX3 also enables the use of rough or soft shaft materials, such as Cf53. As with all iglidur plain bearings, igutex TX3 is self-lubricating and is completely dry running. Solid lubricants, which are integrated in the gliding layer of the fibre wound bearing, enable the best possible coefficients of friction without the need for external lubrication. Users can therefore save costs on oil, grease and maintenance. Additionally, no lubricants are released into the environment, offering a sustainability element.

The new test winner
igutex TX3 was thoroughly tested at the indoor and outdoor test rigs in the igus test laboratory in Cologne. Tests showed that from among the igutex family, the igutex TX3 plain bearing on a Cf53 hard chrome-plated shaft achieved the best values in the pivoting application with 100MPa. The new igutex TX3 fibre wound plain bearings are in stock and are part of the standard product range with inner diameters of 20 to 80 millimetres. Custom-made products with additional diameters are also available on request.

During the Automechanika Ho Chi Minh City Asian Trucker met with Hengst at their booth to find out more about the Vietnamese aftermarket. In this exclusive interview we learned about the dynamics of the market and got a glimpse into the strategic plans of the German brand for the market. 

Alexander Dennis announced that it has been chosen in a competitive tender by Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation to supply 35 battery-electric Enviro500EV double deck buses.

MTR Corporation provides Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway urban rail system including a network of feeder bus services, for which it operates a fleet of 172 buses. Most of them have been supplied by Alexander Dennis from its Enviro200, Enviro400 and Enviro500 vehicle ranges.

MTR Corporation’s new fleet of zero-emission buses will be delivered throughout 2025 and 2026.

The Enviro500EV has been fully designed in-house by Alexander Dennis’s engineering team as part of the manufacturer’s next generation of zero-emission buses. The new fleet can substantially reduce the carbon footprint compared with traditional diesel buses, contributing to a greener environment.

Its 472kWh batteries are supplied by Impact Clean Power Technology to a future-proof design that allows for upgrades to benefit from advances in battery technology without structural modifications. Power is transmitted through the heavy-duty Voith Electrical Drive System, which at 410kW peak and 310kW continuous output has ample reserves to cope with Hong Kong’s topography.

Andy Boulton, Managing Director Asia Pacific for Alexander Dennis, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen by the MTR Corporation as partner for the transition to zero-emission bus services. Our Enviro500EV has been designed from the ground up for the demands of Hong Kong’s world class transport system, ensuring that this transformational investment in cleaner transport will deliver for the MTR Corporation.”

PowerTorquemagazine from Australia, in association with NZ Trucking from New Zealand are introducing the Truck of the Year Australasia Award for the first time in 2023.

This year sees the arrival of a major initiative to increase the profile of the truck industry in Australia and New Zealand and emphasises the importance of trucks to our nations’ wellbeing and prosperity.

Truck of the Year Australasia (ToYA) will be presented at the Brisbane Truck Show in front of the media on May 18 and will also serve as an opportunity for the truck industry, as a whole, to promote its importance to the Australasian economy.

Australasia presents truck makers with challenges unlike those it faces elsewhere in the world and also considerably tougher. Trucks are working in the harshest conditions, extreme heat, sub-zero temperatures and mountainous topography at weights up to and over 200 tonnes in some cases and the trucks are running at higher speeds than most of the rest of the world.

Unlike the other regions in the world, Australia and New Zealand utilise trucks from Europe, North America and Asia, and are loading these trucks to much higher weights than they are designed for in their domestic markets.

In 2023, the first ToYA will be awarded to the truck which meets criteria based on those used globally by the other three International Truck of the Year (IToY) awards already in existence, in Europe, South America and China, but also taking into account the particular characteristics of the Australasian truck markets.

PowerTorque Editor, Tim Giles, and NZ TruckingEditor, Dave McCoid, are Associate Members of the IToY jury.

Truck of the Year Australasia is a positive initiative which will shine a spotlight on the excellence of the product hauling freight on Australasian highways. There is general media interest in the award, which will further enhance that spotlight. Also, with the help of the close connections with fellow jury members and access to trucking industry publications around the world, it is an opportunity to showcase this Australasian excellence internationally.

To choose the winner, a jury of five people will assess the trucks nominated. Apart from Tim Giles,  and Dave McCoid, Charleen Clarke from South Africa makes up a third IToY representative. The other two jurors are long time Australian trucking industry stalwart, Bob Woodward, recently retired as the Australian Trucking Association Chief Engineer and Randolph Kovich, Publisher of Deals on Wheels from New Zealand.

The award is our region’s development adding to the International Truck of the Year (IToY) award family, which was originally launched in 1977 by the British journalist and legendary Editor of TRUCK magazine, Pat Kennett. Today, the 23 jury members from magazines throughout Europe have been joined by 'associate members' in the growing truck markets of Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Japan, China, India, Iran, Malaysia, and South Africa. Altogether, the combined truck operator readership of the 24 IToY full-jury members’ magazines and those of its 10 associate members exceeds 1 100 000.

In Australia, the period around the Brisbane Truck Show is the obvious time and place to make the announcement of the award, as it is one of the few occasions when all the Managing Directors and CEOs, of all of the truck manufacturers operating in the Australian truck market, are in the same room. The presentation of the award will alternate between Australia and New Zealand, with the 2024 award being presented in New Zealand.

As a major tourist destination, production hub featuring a free trade zone, Penang is hungry for raw materials and transport solutions to export goods to all parts of the world. Whi le not the biggest port in Malaysia, Penang manages around 1.5 Millon TEUs annually. Speaking to Asian Trucker was Teoh Ying Hua, Finance Director, Juta Cahaya Gemilang Group of Companies (JCG), about her experience of adding a HAMMAR sideloader to their fleet of trucks.

Within the group of companies, JCG offers logistics services and manages road transport for their clients as a one-stop solution provider. “Mostly, our transports are from the customs to the warehouses and factories of our customers here in Penang and across Peninsular Malaysia,” she said. At the moment, JCG has a fleet of 50 trucks, whereby the latest addition of the HAMMAR sideloader has helped to enhance the operational flow tremendously according to her.

“Typically, we move heavy goods, such as plastic resin, which requires strong and durable equipment to move it.” Oftentimes it is the customer who requests the sideloader to manage the containers. JCG expects an expansion of the business, having added new trucks, and the HAMMAR sideloader to support the growth of the company. The roads on the island may be challenging due to narrow roads in places, however, the drivers have had no issues with the handling of the equipment thus far. For now, the more experienced drivers employed by JCG get to give the HAMMAR a go.

Although sideloaders are not a common sight in Penang, Teoh is confident that the investment will pay dividends. “Our plans to buy more trucks may go in tandem with the addition of more of these sideloaders.”

The Isuzu D-Max range has received a number of updates for 2023, offering the highly-popular pick-up truck with a timely boost to cement its appeal and strengthen its position as one of Malaysia’s favourite trucks. 

Most notable is the introduction of new body colours for the flagship X-Terrain and Premium variants including a new Islay Gray Mica that presents the vehicle with a more chic and trendy outlook. Both variants also benefit from a new shade of white – Dolomite White Pearl that offers a more lustrous sheen than the previous Silky Pearl White. New too is the more sprightly Biarritz Blue Metallic replacing the Sapphire Blue, available primarily with the Automatic Premium, Auto Plus and Automatic Standard variants. 

Further adding to its new outlook are a new radiator grille, rims and some refreshed body accents that complete the sportier and more dynamic outlook. 

Inside, the seats receive a new design and are finished in a stylish black in most of the line-up. For the flagship X-Terrain, the new-look seats offer a striking contrast to the new Café Brown finish on many of its soft-touch surfaces. 

“The Isuzu D-Max has made tremendous inroads by being a highly innovative, sophisticated, safe and capable truck wrapped in a very handsome and modern design package. For 2023, we have taken it up a notch with a number of enhancements that will increase its appeal,” said Shunsuke Okazoe, Chief Executive Officer of Isuzu Malaysia. 

Apart from its fresh outlook, the X-Terrain now comes with greater peace of mind in the form of a Digital Video Recorder capturing crisp footage from class-leading front and rear cameras. The front camera that is mounted neatly in the ADAS module captures amazingly clear 1440P videos while the rear records in high definition 1080P. Videos can be saved to the onboard memory card or downloaded to the phone via an app. 

New too is the ambient lighting feature added to the footwells of the X-Terrain. Apart from offering convenience to occupants when entering or alighting the truck, the blue hue affords the vehicle with an added touch of class. 

With convenience in mind, the X-Terrain, Premium and Auto Plus variants now receive an improved wireless charger that boasts a 15W output allowing for quicker recharging times. The former two variants also receive an additional USB-C port for rapid charging when required. 

Great news for Isuzu D-Max users who utilize the vehicle’s excellent off-roading capability; the entire range of 4x4 variants now come with the added feature of an electronically-actuated rear differential lock. The Diff Lock offers peace of mind when off-roading as it provides additional traction particularly over uneven terrain or highly slippery surfaces. 

Further updates include a new remote keyless entry access and a 12V power socket for the Single Cab variant while the 3.0-litre Premium Automatic variant receives a revised suspension set-up that’s configured to handle heftier payloads, increasing from 580kg previously to 775kg, an improvement of 195kg making exceptionally suited to the requirements of users particularly in East Malaysia.

The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc. (Chairman: Akio Toyoda) is pleased to announce the start of ticket sales today, August 30, for admission to Japan Mobility Show 2023, to be held at Tokyo Big Sight, in the Ariake district of Koto-ku, Tokyo, from October 26 (Thursday) through November 5 (Sunday), 2023. The show will be open to the general public from October 28 (Saturday).

The all-new Japan Mobility Show 2023 will give visitors the opportunity to discover an exciting futuristic Japan in which they can explore and interact with new products and technologies not only from the automobile and related industries but across a broad spectrum, thanks to the participation of domestic and overseas exhibitors and startups whose activities extend beyond mobility. In conjunction with the start of ticket sales, JAMA is also releasing a list of exhibitors at the show as well as new information on show events and programs.

Currently, more than 400 companies have plans to join Japan Mobility Show 2023, far surpassing the 192 companies that participated in the final edition of the Tokyo Motor Show in 2019.

To date, 140 companies have signed on to participate in Tokyo Future Tour, a cross-industry effort to show how different types of new mobility will help create an exciting future. Tokyo Future Tour will feature the following five events.

1. Immersive Theater–Welcome to the Tokyo of the Future!
Large surrounding screens with spectacular visual displays and powerful sound will enable visitors to immerse themselves in a spellbinding Tokyo of the future. Immersive Theater will be the point of departure as well as the gateway to the other Tokyo Future Tour events.

2. Life/emergency/play/food and Mobility –Interactive Show Areas Showcasing Future Mobility
Four interactive areas on the themes of life/emergency/play/food and their interplay with mobility will dynamically showcase how new mobility will impact life in the future.

“LIFE & MOBILITY” will feature, in a thrilling musical-like performance, multiple forms of new mobility and the roles they will play in transportation and cityscapes of the future.

“EMERGENCY & MOBILITY” will vividly depict how new mobility will be able to assist people in a natural disaster-prone country like Japan.

“PLAY & MOBILITY” will envision how some forms of mobility will enhance the enjoyment of sports and entertainment, through displays and activities that will fascinate visitors of all ages including children.
“FOOD & MOBILITY” will demonstrate the wide-ranging usefulness of mobility in agriculture, food distribution and preparation, catering, and other food-centered pursuits.

3. Startup Future Factory–Creating the Future of Mobility
This event will serve as a springboard for startups and top-tier companies to come together to create the future of mobility and will feature the Pitch Contest & Award and Business Matching Events programs.

The Pitch Contest & Award program will be held on November 4 (Saturday). Influential leaders in Japan’s startup world will assess early-stage startups looking for funding and the chance to pitch to potential investors to promote their business visions.

Business Matching Events will be held five times during Japan Mobility Show 2023. This program’s purpose is to act as a catalyst to accelerate development in the mobility industry by bringing together established mobility companies and startups to forge new partnerships and create new business ideas. Topics for discussion will include natural disasters, declining birthrates and aging populations, regional revitalization, environmental sustainability, and personal wellbeing.　

Business Matching Events Program Outline

Note: Topics and dates are subject to change.

The Startup Future Factory programs will provide visitors to Japan Mobility Show 2023 with the opportunity to envision an exciting future based on innovative ideas from next-generation entrepreneurs.

4. Japan Future Session–A series of talks on the future in Japan
The Japan Future Session event will be a multi-day series of presentations focusing on the future of mobility and covering a wide range of topics, from sustainability to artificial intelligence to motorsports, leisure activities, toys, and more. Presentations will be followed by discussions which will be of interest to visitors from all backgrounds.

5. Personal Mobility Ride–Test Riding Next-Generation Mobility
This program will showcase near-future mobility in the final stages of development. Visitors will be able to test ride new types of personal transportation and experience the future first-hand.

Euro V-powered MAN Trucks continue to be the choice of Johor-based transporters for their proven performance and low emission engines that enable businesses to fulfil their sustainability commitments and excellent aftersales support. 

MAN Truck & Bus (M) Sdn Bhd (MAN Malaysia) recently handed over new MAN TGS 6x2 to two new first-time customers -- Kulai-based Pacific Oils & Fats Industries Sdn Bhd and Pasir Gudang-based Syarikat Wijaya (Masai) Sdn Bhd at the MAN Johor Bahru branch.

Pacific Oils & Fats Industries, which processes about 3,000 metric tonnes of palm oil a day and markets its cooking oil under the Avena brand, will be using their five new MAN TGS to transport palm oil between its refinery in Kulai and tank depot at Pasir Gudang. 

The company’s Senior Manager FMCG and Planning, Syed Muhammad Zohaib, said that the decision to add five new MAN Trucks to its 19-strong truck fleet was driven by MAN’s superior specifications.  

“We understand that the new MAN TGS offers more pulling power and higher fuel efficiency and are looking forward to testing the new MAN Trucks in actual operations.  We are a growing company and will certainly consider buying more when the need arises,” he said.  

For palm oil logistics specialist Syarikat Wijaya (Masai) which operates a fleet of 45 palm oil tankers, the excellent aftersales support from MAN Johor Bahru for its previous batch of second-hand MAN Trucks convinced the company to invest in two new MAN TGS. 

“MAN’s Johor Bahru service centre is only 15 minutes away from our base and we are extremely pleased with their service so far.  Our trucks ply the entire West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia from Johor to Kedah.  In these long haul routes, a comfortable working environment for our drivers is very important as the truck is their second home. We decided to buy the new MAN TGS as our drivers like its spacious cabin, power, handling and safety,“ said Thavarajan Vijya Kumar, Operations Manager. 

MAN Malaysia Managing Director Andrew O’Brooks thanked both companies for choosing the MAN TGS with low-emission Euro V engines as standard that have proven to be able to help businesses achieve both sustainability and profitability goals. 

“We are delighted to see more and more transporters in Johor join the MAN family due to strong recommendations from the growing number of satisfied MAN customers and drivers.  All credit to the MAN Team in Johor for their excellent work in meeting the needs of our customers,” he said.