Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), Daimler AG’s Japanese commercial vehicle subsidiary, and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (Nissan) recently announced the signing of a contract for the supply of completely built up Nissan commercial vans, to be sold under the FUSO brand in export markets.
Under the contract, Nissan will supply its NV350 Urvan, a commercial van with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 3.5 tons, to be sold by MFTBC as FUSO Canter Van in the Middle East starting this year.
“The new FUSO Canter Van is an important element for the growth strategy of Daimler Trucks in Asia,” Dr Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the board of management responsible for Daimler Trucks & Buses said.
MFTBC and Nissan are already running a strategic OEM supply which includes MFTBC’s supply of its light-duty truck platform (payload: 2.0 tons) to Nissan; and Nissan’s supply of its light-duty truck platform (payload: 1.5 tons) to Mitsubishi Fuso.
“With the new FUSO Canter Van, we will be able to address new customer segments in the Middle East where we already have an established network,” Dr Albert Kirchmann, president and CEO of MFTBC said.
“It is the first time in the FUSO history that we (will) offer a commercial van, and I am convinced that our customers will appreciate the wider choice,” Kurchmann added.
The contract follows the signing of a basic agreement between both companies in September 2013, and is based on the strategic partnership between Daimler AG and the Renault-Nissan alliance, which was announced in 2010.