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About Hino

Hino Motors has built trucks and buses in Japan since before World War II, and for decades it has been the commercial-vehicle arm of the Toyota group. Its light, medium and heavy trucks, sold as the 300, 500 and 700 Series in many markets, are familiar across Asia, Australia and Latin America, and its buses carry commuters throughout Japan. In Australia especially, Hino is a household name among tradies, councils and transport operators.

The brand's recent history has been dominated by scandal. In 2022 Hino admitted it had falsified engine emissions and fuel-economy data going back many years, which forced sales halts in Japan and the United States, product recalls and a lengthy legal reckoning. In the U.S. the company reached a guilty plea and a large settlement with regulators, and its North American truck lineup was disrupted for an extended period. It was a humbling blow for a company that had built its name on dependability.

The way forward is consolidation. Toyota and Daimler Truck agreed to combine Hino with Daimler's Mitsubishi Fuso under a shared holding company, creating a bigger Japanese truck group able to split the costs of electrification, hydrogen and automation. Meanwhile Hino continues to sell hybrid trucks, including hybrid tippers, and its 700 Series has posted strong sales in Australia. This page follows Hino's products, sales, the merger, regulatory fallout, recalls and the company's efforts to restore its reputation.