Hino Announces Plans to Enter the Class 8 Market

Hino is well-known for its medium-duty trucks. Now, the truck manufacturer will expand its lineup to include Class 8 trucks, according to a recent announcement.

2019 Target Date

It is expected that Hino's new Class 8 trucks will be introduced during the 2019 model year. Freight Waves quotes Hino North America's CEO, Yoshinori Noguchi as saying, "Our growth and customer acceptance in the Class 4-7 market are enabling us to introduce wider variety of products.

According to the September 2017 announcement, the company plans to formally launch its new entry into the competitive Class 8 marketplace at the 2018 NTEA Work Truck Show. The new Class 8 trucks will feature Hino's new A09 engine. The nine-liter powerplant is capable of a maximum 300 to 360 horsepower.

West Virginia Plant Expansion

To facilitate production of the new models, Hino North America will put $100 million into a conversion of a distribution center plant in West Virginia that is not far from its current plant. The company plans to assemble new Class 7 and Class 8 models at the new Mineral Wells facility.

Hino's Takashi Ono commented on the planned expansion by saying, "The new plant, which is four times the size of our current plant, will allow us to combine several assembly operations under one roof." For example, cab assembly, currently performed in Japan, will be moved to the new West Virginia plant. By early 2020, Hino expects to employ 250 additional workers during two shifts at the new plant.

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