Fuso and Nissan unveil Fuso van

Mitsubishi Fuso and Nissan have signed an agreement that will see the NV350 Urvan sold in the Middle East as a Fuso Canter Van

Middle Eastern LCV buyers will soon be able to purchase a Fuso Canter Van, after the signing of a contract between Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation and Nissan Motor Co Ltd that will see the latter supply its NV350 Urvan to the former for export.

The agreement will see the 3.5-tonne NV350 Urvan supplied to Fuso, a subsidiary of Daimler Truck & Bus, as a completely built up van, with supply of the rebadged Fuso Canter Van to begin in the Middle East before the end of this year.

It will be the first time that Fuso, which has a product range spanning light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, has offered a van in any of the markets in which it operates around the world.

The contract represents a further strengthening of relations between Fuso and Nissan. Fuso already supplies its light-duty truck platform (with two-tonne payload) to Nissan and in return Nissan supplies its light-duty truck platform (with 1.5-tonne payload) to Fuso, with both rebadged products – the Fuso Canter Guts and the Nissan NT450 Atlas – available for sale in Japan.

Fuso and Nissin signed an initial agreement in September 2013, while at a broader level Daimler AG – owner of Daimler Truck & Bus – entered into a strategic partnership with the Renault/Nissan alliance in April 2010.

Member of the Board of Management for Daimler AG responsible for Daimler Truck & Bus, Dr Wolfgang Bernhard, said the latest Fuso/Nissan arrangement would aid the group's plans for expansion.

"The new Fuso Canter Van is an important element for the growth strategy of Daimler Trucks in Asia," he said.

"It is also another example of our proven cooperation with Nissan in the commercial vehicles sector."

President & CEO of MFTBC, Dr Albert Kirchmann, said the tie-up was an historic milestone.

"With the new Fuso Canter Van we will be able to address new customer segments in the Middle East where we already have an established network," he said.

"It is the first time in Fuso's history that we offer a commercial van, and I am convinced that our customers will appreciate the wider choice."

Nissan's Corporate Vice President, Global LCV Business Unit, Mr Guerin Boutaud, said the deal will bear fruit on a variety of levels.

"We are delighted that the Definitive Agreement of NV350 Urvan supply has been concluded formally, in addition to the first step of mutual supply of the light-duty trucks, the Canter Guts and NT450 Atlas, already running in Japan," he said.

"We hope that the strategic partnership between Mitsubishi Fuso and Nissan in light commercial vehicles business is further reinforced by this and will lead to improved production efficiency in Japan."

The Nissan Urvan, also called the Nissan Caravan or King Van, has been in production since 1973 and was sold in Australia from 1981 to 1993.

The NV350 Urvan debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2011 and has been sold in a variety of markets, excluding Australia, since mid-2012. Powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel or a 2.0-litre or 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, the van is available with either a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission in two wheelbases and two heights.

Fuso and Nissan unveil Fuso van

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