Isuzu completed the acquisition of UD Trucks Corporation from the Volvo Group on April 1, 2021, with the two groups looking to move ahead with their strategic alliance in the global truck sector.

The Dutro Z EV, a next-generation ultra-low-floor, front-wheel drive light-duty electric truck with a walk-through van-style configuration designed to be both user-friendly and emissions-free, will be introduced in Japan in early summer 2022.

The Tokyo Zero-emission Innovation Bay aims to make the Tokyo Bay area the first zero-emission innovation hub in the world through the collaboration of many different locally-based companies and research institutions.

UD Trucks announced in April it had entered into a multi-year digital transformation and hybrid cloud contract with Indian information technology (IT) group, HCL Technologies to further accelerate its digital transformation. 

Isuzu is targeting consolidated net sales of JPY2,750bn for the financial year ending in March 2024, while consolidated operating income is forecast at JPY250bn and return on investment (ROI) of 12.5%.

Mitsubishi Fuso has made some important improvements to its Canter light-duty truck for compliance with Japanese regulations to be introduced in September 2021.

Hino Motors Ltd of Hino-shi from mid-2022 plans to release onto the Japanese market, the Hino Dutro Z EV – the company’s first full-scale electric vehicle which is designed for ‘last mile deliveries.’

Bridgestone Corporation of Tokyo, Japan has launched a new flagship tyre for the city bus segment, the U-AP 002.

Tyre manufacturer, Bridgestone Corporation of Tokyo, Japan has announced all of its European tyre plants, European R&D Centre and Proving Ground in Rome, Italy, its PCT plant in Lanklaar, Belgium, textile plant in Usansolo, Spain and its EMIA headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, are now powered by electricity from 100% renewable sources.

Hino Motors Ltd of Hino-shi and ‘electric skateboard chassis builder,’ REE Automotive (REE*) of Tel Aviv, Israel, have signed a strategic business alliance agreement to realise their shared vision of “providing new value to society through next-generation commercial mobility.”

Toyota Motor Corporation of Toyota, Japan, together with the Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Hospital in Kumamo, as of March 2021, has started testing of what it claims is the world’s first fuel cell electric vehicle mobile clinic that uses hydrogen to generate electricity for patient treatments during times of emergency and natural disasters.

The Volvo Group of Gothenburg, Sweden has completed the previously announced sale of its Japanese truck and bus subsidiary, UD Trucks Ltd of Ageo, Saitama to Isuzu Motors Ltd of Tokyo, Japan for an enterprise value of JPY243bn (approximately SEK19bn / EUR1.86bn) on a cash and debt free basis.