Sojitz Fuso said the Canter Modern PUV Class 2 aims to provide a reliable, durable and efficient transportation solution to Philippine commuters.

The company confirmed it has agreed to deepen cooperation with Mitsui Sumitomo Marine (China) Company Ltd, and Panasonic Holdings Corporation, in the areas of battery asset management and risk control for new-energy heavy trucks.

The “Isuzu Transformation IX – Growth to 2030” mid-term business plan released in April is designed to transform the truck-maker into a commercial mobility solutions company by 2030 “to address challenges faced by customers and society through transport”.

Isuzu Motors Ltd, headquartered in Yokohama in Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture, unveiled its first battery-powered D-Max one-ton pickup truck at the Bangkok International Motor Show in April

T&BB decided to delve into the reasons for this sales success story by interviewing the top management of Stuart Beeton, Head of Sales & Marketing and Peter Murphy, Managing Director of Isuzu Truck UK.

Located around 150km northeast of Lisbon, the Tramagal plant produces the Canter and its electric sibling the eCanter. The facility is the third largest automobile manufacturing centre in Portugal and has produced 11,800 trucks to date, shipped to 33 European markets and Morocco.

As part of the agreement Isuzu states it will make a substantial investment in the local Nagoya-based autonomous driving technology company.

The commercial vehicle market over 2 tons gvw expanded by 12% to 91,830 units in the fourth quarter of 2023 boosting annual sales overall.

Sales of commercial vehicles over 2 tons gvw in East Asia’s seven main markets, excluding China, continued to deteriorate in the fourth quarter of 2023, with sales falling by more than 14%.

Formed in 1996, Toyota had gradually increased its stake in the JV andcurrently holds 80.5% of the shares and Panasonic the remaining 19.5%.

The new Canter comes with a wide range of advanced safety features, including ASA, ABA5, TSR, IHC and optional AAA - read on to get to grips with these acronyms.

The companies stated that the merger is delayed due to slower than anticipated processes in obtaining the necessary regulatory clearances and approvals under competition and other laws and regulations.