OREANDA-NEWS. The first generation of the Fuso Canter truck came on the market in March 1963. Fifty years and eight generations later, Daimler is celebrating the truck as a best-selling hit with global sales of over 3,700,000 units since the market launch in its home market Japan. The light-duty Fuso Canter truck is the flagship of the Daimler subsidiary, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), and is in demand by customers in more than 150 countries around the world. The Fuso Canter, which has been produced for the European market in Tramagal, Portugal since 1980, is enjoying growing popularity in Europe.

Since last year, the Fuso Canter truck is also available in Europe as a hybrid variant, which uses up to 23 percent less fuel than a comparable conventional Canter and pays off within three to four years.

Most recently in Ireland, the economical Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid picked up the “Best Energy Efficient Product Award” at the European “SEAI Energy Show 2013” (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) in Dublin. In addition, the hybrid truck was also honored with the prestigious award “Irish Green Commercial of the Year 2013”.

In Japan, the Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid even entered into the history of the prestigious “RJC Car of the Year Award”. This was the first time that the award had ever been presented to a commercial vehicle manufacturer. It was given to the Fuso Canter at the “Automotive Researcher?s and Journalist?s Conference” (RJC) in the end 2012.

In addition to the fiftieth anniversary of the Fuso Canter truck, the MFTBC subsidiary founded in January 2003 is also celebrating the ten-year company anniversary and the 80th birthday of the Fuso brand, which has been in existence since 1932. MFTBC markets a broad range of products under the well-known commercial vehicle brand Fuso, which include the Canter and Guts light-duty trucks, the medium-duty Fighter truck, the Super Great heavy-duty truck, the Aero Star city bus, and the Aero Queen touring coach.