LONG BEACH, Calif., (Oct. 20, 2004) — Japanese truck and bus maker Hino Motors opened its first North American truck manufacturing plant in Southern California yesterday as part of parent company Toyota Motor Corp.’s effort to expand market share on this side of the Pacific.

The assembly plant was constructed in part of a Toyota parts manufacturing facility. About 50 employees will work at the assembly plant, which is starting out making about five trucks per day. Hino expects to build 2,000 trucks by March and 10,000 trucks per year by 2006, the Associated Press reported.

Trucks from the plant will be shipped to the company’s 112 dealers in the U.S. and Canada. Hino plans to expand to about 150 dealers by March.

Some manufacturing, including most parts and frame rails, will be done in Long Beach, while the engine and the cab will continue being imported from Japan for now.

The company is also building a parts plant in Arkansas.

Hino hopes its new facility will help increase U.S. market share for its revamped medium-duty product line. The company hopes for stronger competition with Navistar International, Freightliner, and GM in the class 6 and 7 market.

Hino has, however, carved out a niche in Canada, where it enjoys close to 12 per cent market share for class 5 to 7 trucks. The company is especially strong in Quebec, selling over 350 units in that province so far this year.

Hino Canada Vice-President of Sales Alan Masters told Today’s Trucking recently that the company’s strong growth can be partially attributed to the rising popularity of its new “concept truck” launched last year. The company is hopeful the truck can help double sales by 2008.

The new conventional-style vehicle will replace Hino’s venerable line of cabover straight trucks in 2005. For the COE traditionalists, the company promises the new design matches the past trucks in manoeuvrability, and a broad windscreen and sloping hood maintains line of sight from the driver’s seat, Hino says.