The new Hino 700 is here

Hino Pupkewitz recently presented a wonderful launch event for the latest Hino 700 range of extra-heavy commercial trucks at the Tony Rust racetrack on the edge of Windhoek, where Anton Falck, vice president of Hino South Africa, was among the invited guests.

Falck said the new Hino 700 series brings a new generation to the fore, representing a lot of work done to improve competitiveness, setting a new standard and bringing trucking in Namibia to a new class, especially with regards to safety.

“The Hino 700 embodies the idea of a valued vehicle with which freight and driver arrive at the destination and make it safely back to the depot, demonstrating excellent fuel consumption figures, and purchased at a competitive price, all in a complete package with the needed horsepower requirements,” he said.

Among the improved safety features he highlighted were the pre-collision system, the driver alert monitor, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and stability control technology.

According to Falck, 51% of the Namibian market is for extra-heavy vehicles.



Satisfying features

The new Hino 700 series does not have a large sleeper cab but rather only a rest bank, as these trucks are meant for regional hauls and are used a lot in mining, construction and other tough African applications, he said.

Regarding the supply of parts to the Namibian market, satisfied customers rate Hino top, according to Falck. This is due to the advanced systems used to supply Africa by Hino South Africa and Toyota South Africa. Together, all participants in the group work to minimise the impacts of load-shedding and border crossing delays to ensure that when parts are ordered before 12 o'clock midday, parts are made available in Windhoek the following day, he explained.

For the future, Hino South Africa is seeking emission solutions to achieve net zero by 2050. Already, diesel-hybrid Hino trucks are being tested, while biofuels and hydrogen-driven trucks are in development. Hydrogen is considered a replacement for diesel, and tests are ongoing in collaboration with Sasol, which produces hydrogen as a by-product of its petrol and diesel production, Falck said.

As recently as the end of June, it was announced that Daimler, Fuso, Toyota and Hino are in collaboration to share technology in pursuit of CASE: connection, automation, shared and electrification or alternative fuel development, he said.



Peak performance

At the same event, Thabz Mafokwane, Hino South Africa manager of product planning, went into more detail regarding the new Hino 700 series. The new designs for the cabin, the bumper, the grill, and the headlights complement the 30-litre engine, the 16-speed transmission, and the functionality of the auxiliary brakes, all to take the burden away from the driver, he said.

For example, multiple mirror types – door under mirrors, front under mirrors, side under mirrors, and main mirrors – are all employed to eliminate all possible blind spots, according to Mafokwane. This allows "drivers to see what is all around the vehicle. High-functionality seats feature an air suspension mechanism and seat belts mounted to the seat rather than to the cabin,” he said.

The parking brake lever is situated on the dashboard, while the shift selector turns clockwise or anticlockwise to change gears.”

He highlighted the LED instrumentation cluster and the multi-information display, which can be navigated via steering wheel-mounted buttons. “The 700 gives real-time feedback on how well you are driving,” he said, adding that this truck features a power mode, an eco mode, and the normal mode, which combines the two. There is an automatic and a manual choice provided for all Hino 700 transmissions, while peak performance at low revolutions per minute means that these trucks can pull away using less gasoline.

“Hino South Africa also offers free driver training,” he added.