Fuso and Nissan Seal Cooperation for Light-Duty Trucks: Daimler Expands Portfolio in Japan

• Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. sign agreement for reciprocal supply of light-duty trucks in Japan
• Daimler expands Fuso commercial vehicles port-folio in the segment of trucks below 5 tons GVW
• New light-duty trucks already available at Fuso Dealerships from January 15, 2013

After the Memorandum of Under-standing between Daimler’s Japanese commercial vehicle subsidiary and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in June, earlier today, the partners signed an agreement for the long-term cooperation on reciprocal supply of light-duty trucks in Japan. The agreement is founded on the strategic partnership between Daimler AG and Renault-Nissan.

“With our growth strategy 'FUSO 2015' we will significantly improve the satisfaction of our customers,” says MFTBC President and CEO Dr. Albert Kirchmann. “Our latest achievement is the Fuso Canter Guts to be offered from 2013, which will 'round off' the bottom of our broad range of light trucks.”

Beginning in January next year, Fuso will offer the light-duty truck “Fuso Canter Guts” to the Japanese market, which is known under Nissan´s model name “Atlas F24”. In return, Nissan will sell the light-duty truck “Fuso Canter” under the new model name “NT450 Atlas”. Initially, the mutual deliveries scope will total about 1,300 units.

The goal of the cooperation between MFTBC and Nissan is to utilize the expertise of both manufacturers with a view to bolstering the business with light-duty trucks in Japan. The present agreement on reciprocal supply of trucks will enable both partners to expand their truck assortment, realize economies of scale and achieve savings in development costs. This will lead to increased efficiency and productivity for both sides.