By combining Rocsys’ hands-free charger with Unikie’s ‘Marshalling Solution’, the partners aim to eliminate the need for human drivers to manually park the vehicle in the charging bay and hook it up to the charger.

The reason: Hino Motors concluded that it is “unlikely that the business of Shanghai Hino will grow in a sustainable manner” due mainly to growing sales of electric-powered commercial vehicles and construction machinery in China.

The company said the move is a first step in a much broader expansion strategy for the region.

The company’s distribution strategy had been to appoint a single distributor per country in mainland Europe responsible for sales, aftersales, spare parts and marketing.

With the Eclipse CANought project, the partners hope to advance the development of software-defined vehicles by making it easier for commercial vehicles to receive updates over the air.

Isuzu said the two companies, “Plan to accelerate joint development of Level 4 autonomous trucks based on a partnership strategy that spans five years."

Both companies are heavily invested in hydrogen as a clean fuel transportation solution.

Inchcape confirmed that would start selling a range of Foton new energy and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, including pickups, vans and trucks, in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Dongfeng said “the move to assemble the ‘Captain’ range locally positions Dongfeng as a strong player in Malaysia’s light-duty truck market."

Over 90% of these will be zero-emission, drawn from the manufacturer’s ranges of battery electric and fuel cell electric single and double deckers.

This collaboration enables bus fleet operators to access and manage vehicle data without the need for additional hardware. This integration supports both electric and ICE-powered buses, enhancing fleet optimisation.

Building on its hydrogen innovations since 2022, Karsan plans to launch its first hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (the e-ATA Hydrogen) in 2025. These vehicles will be equipped with Toyota’s state-of-the-art 85 kW fuel cell modules, providing significant power and range.