Hino Motors, Ltd.

, commonly known as Hino, is a Japanese manufacturer of commercial

vehicles and diesel engines (including those for trucks, buses and other vehicles) headquartered
in Hino, Tokyo. The company was established in 1942 as a corporate spin-off from previous
manufacturers.
Hino Motors is a large constituent of the Nikkei 225 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It is a subsidiary
of Toyota Motor Corporation and one of 16 major companies of the Toyota Group.

History[edit]
The company traces its roots back to the founding of Tokyo Gas Industry Company in 1910. In 1910,
Chiyoda Gas Company was established and competed fiercely against incumbent Tokyo Gas
Company for gas lighting users. Tokyo Gas Industry was a parts supplier for Chiyoda Gas but it was
defeated and merged into Tokyo Gas in 1912. Having lost its largest client, Tokyo Gas Industry Co.
broadened its product line including electronic parts, and renamed itself as Tokyo Gas and Electric
Industry (東京瓦斯電気工業), TG&E, and was often abbreviated as Gasuden. It produced its
first motor vehicle in 1917, 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.[citation needed]
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. During World War II, Hino
manufactured Type 1 Ho-Ha half-track and Type 1 Ho-Ki armored personnel carrier for the Imperial
Japanese Army. Following treaties signed at the end of World War II, the company had to stop
producing large diesel engines for marine applications, so the company dropped the "Heavy" from its
name and formally concentrated on the heavy-duty trailer-truck, buses and diesel engines markets,
as Hino Industry Co., Ltd. The company took its name from the location of its headquarters in
Hino city (日野市, Hino-shi) within Tokyo prefecture.
To sharpen its marketing focus to customers, in 1948, the company added the name "Diesel" to
become Hino Diesel Industry Co., Ltd. In 1950 the heavy-duty TH10 was introduced, equipped with
the all-new 7-liter DS10 diesel engine. An eight-tonner, this was considerably larger than existing
Japanese trucks which had rarely been built for more than 6,000 kg (13,230 lb) payload.[4]
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, and a pickup
truck called the Hino Briska with the Contessa engine slightly enlarged and installed in the front with
rear wheel drive. The Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti redesigned the Contessa line in 1964 with a
1300 cc rear-mounted engine. Fed by two SU type carburettors, this developed 60 hp (44 kW) in the
sedan and 70 hp (51 kW) in the coupé version. However, Hino ceased private car production very
quickly in 1967 following a strategic alliance with Toyota in 1965.
In 1963, the Hamura factory began operations, and focused entirely on commercial truck and bus
manufacture.
Hino Trucks have also been assembled in Norway (1977–85), [5] Portugal and Canada.[6]
Hino became a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation in 2001.
In 2018, Hino and Volkswagen Truck and Bus (later renamed Traton) announced a wide-
ranging strategic partnership for activities including procurement, technologies and logistics. In
November 2019, they established a procurement joint venture called Hino and Traton Global
Procurement, with 51% of it owned by Traton and 49% by Hino. [7]
In March 2021, Hino, its parent Toyota, and Isuzu announced the creation of a strategic partnership
between the three companies. Toyota acquired a 4.6% stake in Isuzu while the latter plans to
acquire Toyota shares for an equivalent value. The three companies said they would form a new
joint venture by April called Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation with the aim of
developing fuel cell and electric light trucks. Toyota would own an 80% stake in the venture while
Hino and Isuzu would own 10% each.[8] In August 2022, after Toyota published the findings of a self-
commissioned investigation highlighting that Hino Motors falsified emissions data on some engines
going back to at least October 2003, [9][10][11] Toyota and Isuzu "expelled" Hino from their partnership.
The Hino stake would be given to Toyota. [12]

1917 TGE-A

Hino Renault 4CV

Hino Contessa 1300

Canada[edit]
Hino has been marketing trucks in Canada since the 1970s. [13] Hino Motors Canada Ltd., is the
exclusive distributor of Hino products in Canada, and is part of the Toyota Group of Companies, with
head office and Parts Distribution Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. In May 2006, Hino opened a new
12,300 m2 (132,000 sq ft) assembly plant in Woodstock, Ontario, employing at first 45 (grown since
to more than 70) and with an annual capacity of 2,400 trucks.[13] It began assembly of Class 4 and 5
trucks in 2006 and continued to do so until 2010. Since then, it has been building only Class 6 and 7
trucks.[citation needed]

Colombia[edit]
Hino Motors Manufacturing Colombia (HMMC) is a partnership between the Mitsui group and the
Colombia manager for the Hino brand, PRACO-Didacol S.A. The partnership assembles medium
and heavy trucks, destined mainly to the export market for the Andinean and Central American
countries. The factory was opened on 9 October 2007 in Cota, a municipality near the capital city
of Bogotá.[14][15] From this facility, the FCJ and Hino Dutro (300, 500 and 900 series) trucks are
assembled.[16] The Mitsui-Keiretsu is the principal shareholder and owner of this factory. The plant
produced the 1000th unit in July 2009.[17] The 20,000th truck was finished on 14 May 2014.[18]

Indonesia[edit]
PT. Hino Motors Manufacturing Indonesia (HMMI) [19] is strategic production base for ASEAN region.
HMMI is in partnership between the Hino Motors, Ltd and PT. Indomobil Sukses Internasional, Tbk.
The partnership assembles medium, heavy duty trucks, mainly for ASEAN market. The factory was
opened in April 2003, evolving from PT. Hino Indonesia Manufacturing which was opened in October
1982. The factory is located on Purwakarta, West Java. Its sister company PT. Hino Motors Sales
Indonesia (HMSI)[20] is formed April 2003. Currently there are 41 dealerships and more than 100
branches, around the archipelago.[21]

Ireland[edit]
Hino Trucks have been assembled in The Republic of Ireland since 1968 by J Harris on the
Naas/Nangor Roads, Dublin.[22]

Israel[edit]
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Hino Motors signed a 10-year assembly agreement with Kaiser-Illin Industries of Haifa, Israel, in
1963. Assembly of the Contessa 900 started in 1964. Later, Briska 900 and 1300 and the Contessa
1300 sedan were assembled in Haifa as well. During the years 1964–1965, Israel was Hino's second
most important market for its Contessas. Israel exports amounted to ~10% of total Contessa
production. After it was purchased by Toyota, the contract was terminated and the last Israeli
Contessas rolled off the assembly line in March 1968. In total, over 8,000 Hino Contessa and Briska
were assembled in Israel.

Mexico[edit]
In mid 2008, Hino Motors was said to be building a new truck assembly facility in Guanajuato,
Mexico, serving international deliveries. The facility was reportedly built in an 80:20 partnership with
Japanese trading firm Mitsui, opening in 2009 and with a production capacity for 1,200 of the Hino
500 series trucks per year.[23]

Pakistan[edit]
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Hinopak Motors was formed in 1985 by a diverse group of sponsors. These included Hino Motors
Limited, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Al-Futtaim Group and PACO. In 1998, Hino Motors, and Toyota
Tsusho Corporation obtained majority shareholding in the company after disinvestments by the other
two founding sponsors.
Hinopak Motors manufactures and markets diesel trucks and buses in Pakistan. Hinopak Motors has
gained 70% market share making it the largest manufacturer in medium and heavy-duty truck and
bus industry in Pakistan. Hinopak Motors Head Office is located in S.I.T.E Industrial
Area, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.[24]

Philippines[edit]
In 1975, Hino has entered the Philippine market, and creating Pilipinas Hino, Inc. It was originally
established for the manufacturing of buses and, later, trucks. In the 1970s, Hino had initially shipped
vehicles to the country from Japan, before the creation of PHI.
In 2015, Pilipinas Hino, Inc. announced name its change to Hino Motors Philippines Corporation.

Russia[edit]
In 2017, Hino Motors announced that it was going to open its first factory in Russia. The factory will
begin producing trucks in 2019 and will have the capacity to produce 3,000 yearly. [25]

Thailand[edit]
Thai Hino Industry Co., Ltd. was established in 1964, with an assembly plant in Samrong.[26] A
second plant was established in Bang Phli in 1982. In 1999 the sales arm (Thai Hino Motor Sales
Ltd.) and the manufacturing arm were merged, becoming Hino Motors (Thailand) Ltd. [26] The
company was split again in 2003, becoming Hino Motors Manufacturing (Thailand) Ltd. and Hino
Motors Sales (Thailand) Ltd. A third plant was opened the following year, at Amatanakorn industrial
park in Bang Pakong District (a vehicle assembly plant).[26]

 Hino 300 Innovator light duty trucks for small business

 Hino 500 Dominator medium duty trucks for Agriculture business
 Hino 500 Victor heavy duty trucks for transportation business
 Hino 700 Splendor heavy duty trucks for international transportation