Hino to Debut Hybrid Truck Twice as Fuel Efficient, Nikkei Says

By Patrick Rial

Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Hino Motors Ltd. plans to sell a gas- electric truck next year offering twice the fuel efficiency of its current hybrids and 2 1/2 times that of the company’s conventional engines, the Nikkei newspaper said.

Hino, Japan’s biggest maker of heavy-duty trucks, will market the vehicles in Japan, the U.S. and Australia, according to the report. The company is using the same hybrid technology as parent Toyota Motor Corp. to cut costs, Nikkei said. Hino is installing larger batteries and improving the motor to achieve greater fuel efficiency, the report said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Rial in Tokyo at prial@bloomberg.net.