Hino Motors

Hino Motors, Ltd. ( 日野自動車, Hino Jidōsha, 7205 ), commonly known as simply Hino, is a manufacturer of diesel trucks, buses, and other vehicles based in Tokyo, Japan. For the last 32 years the company has been the leading producer of medium and heavy-duty diesel trucks in Japan. It is owned by Toyota.

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 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.

Trucks

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


 * Bonneted medium truck (for North America)


 * Dutro - light truck, rebadged Toyota Dyna


 * 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
 * The latest 4th generation (Ranger Pro) came in 2002


 * Hino has been competed in Dakar Rally since 1991 with Ranger FT 4WD truck driven by the Japanese rally driver, Yoshimasa Sugawara. He always finished in the Top 10 in Camion Category, and 1st in the category 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 - city bus
 * Rainbow - medium bus
 * 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
 * Rear-engine chassis (RG, RM, RK) - big bus

Others

 * Toyota FJ Cruiser - assembled by Hino, Hamura plant
 * Toyota Briska - mostly engineered by Hino
 * Toyota Hilux - mostly engineered by Hino
 * Toyota Publica Van / Pic - assembled by Hino (1968 - 1978 ?)
 * Toyota Carina Van - assembled by Hino (1970 - 1981 ?)
 * Toyota Hilux Surf (4Runner) - assembled by Hino
 * Toyota T100 - designed and assembled by Hino
 * Toyota Tacoma - mostly engineered by Hino, latest Tacoma also styled by Hino
 * Toyota Tundra and Toyota Sequoia - partially designed and engineered by Hino engineers
 * Contessa, passenger car built in 1960s

Affiliates/Subsidiaries

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