Hino Hybrid Electric hits a sales high

At a press conference this week, Richard Emery, Vice President of Brand and Franchise Development for Hino Australia said that sales and demand for the Hino 300 Hybrid have never been stronger.

“Customer demand for lower emission vehicles plus an increased business focus have contributed to a rise in deliveries of over 400 per cent year-on-year,” Mr Emery said.

“This year will be a record year for Hybrid Electric – we have already delivered over 200 units and we have an order bank of over 100.

“This increase is particularly impressive considering the average deliveries over the last five years was 35 per year,” he continued.

Mr Emery said that Hino was on target to sell around 6000 trucks in total for the 2023 calendar year. This will be a little shy of the record 6251 units set in 2021, but Mr Emery said this year's sales were solid across the board, and he was particularly happy with the Hybrid Electric.

“The Hybrid Electric has typically been purchased for freight and logistics applications, but recently new applications have emerged such as rental vehicles, infrastructure service bodies and the trade market, with the new Built-to-Go range,” he continued.

Rental company Sixt has become the first Australian-wide multi-franchise rental business to purchase Hybrid Electric trucks.

“We are very excited to take this next step with our most trusted and reliable partner, Hino Australia,” said Murari Rijal, Sixt Franchise Owner.

“The introduction of Hybrid Electric trucks to our fleet brings a positive impact on the environment and ensures cost savings for Sixt customers, especially during times of high-interest rates and cost-of-living pressures,” he continued.

A loyal Hino customer that will soon add Hybrid Electric to its fleet is PFD Food Services.

“PFD is excited to add a Hybrid Electric to our fleet – based on our location and operational requirements, we needed a vehicle with no range limitations, which is why the Hybrid Electric is the logical choice.

“It was an easy decision to combine reduced emissions with the excellent standard safety features of the Hino 300 Series.

“We will use telematics to track and record the fuel savings of the Hybrid Electric, and will therefore be able to calculate our immediate reduction in emissions,” said Steve Wright, National Fleet Manager for PFD Foods.

Richard Emery said the upsurge in enquiry and delivery of Hybrid Electric light-duty trucks has had a flow-on effect in other areas of the Hino business.

“The increased sales have driven a need for increased training for apprentice technicians – so far this year, we have delivered Hybrid Electric vehicles to Sunraysia Institute of TAFE, TAFE SA and Shellharbour TAFE, and Hino Australia’s Hybrid Electric training program will soon be offered to TAFE trainers,” he said.

“Similarly, Hino Australia has recently held specialised Hybrid Electric training for Royans Transport Accident Repairs management team to allow their smash repairers to better understand the specific requirements of repairing Hybrid vehicles.

“Based on the positive feedback, we will be looking to roll this training out to their networks nationally,” he continued.

"The 300 Series Hybrid Electric provides a unique combination of Euro 6 emissions compliance, lower operational costs and fuel and emission reductions without compromising operational range or payload.

“By delivering these advantages to market today, we are confident Hybrid Electric sales will continue to increase over the coming 24 months,” he said.