The FINANCIAL — Presenting its all new heavy duty truck FUSO Super Great (above 15t) Daimler Trucks is determined to expand its position in the Japanese market. With the latest generation of the FUSO flagship, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles sets a new benchmark for efficiency, safety and connectivity in Japan.
With the FUSO Super Great Daimler Trucks’ global platform strategy takes it full effect: the engines, transmissions and axles already established in the triad, are supplied from powertrain plants of the sister brand Mercedes-Benz in Mannheim, Gaggenau and Kassel as well as the plant of US-powertrain subsidiary Detroit in Redford, Michigan.
“With this new vehicle we position ourselves at the top of our market in Japan,” Marc Llistosella, President & CEO of FUSO and Head of Daimler Trucks Asia explains. “The new FUSO Super Great is a completely new development and uses state of the art technologies of the global Daimler Trucks platforms. We will offer our customers the most efficient, safest and best-connected truck they can get in the Japanese market.”
Increased efficiency: Up to 15 percent less fuel consumption
From now on the newly developed FUSO Super Great sets the benchmark for efficiency in heavy duty trucks in the Japanese market. With a number of new technologies the fuel consumption of the new truck is reduced by up to 15 percent compared to the previous model. The new FUSO Super Great’s powertrain components come from the current product platforms and are only slightly adjusted to fit the specific demands of the Japanese market. Daimler Trucks’ global platform strategy guarantees consistent quality standards, cost benefits due to scale effects and flexibilities in the use of production capacity.
With more than 50 percent value-added share, the powertrain of a truck –engine, transmission and axle – is a key factor for a successful business of manufacturer and customer. The integrated powertrain of Daimler Trucks is perfectly tuned and offers both cost and efficiency benefits as well as the lowest total cost of ownership for the shippers.
The 10.7 l engine OM470, used in the new FUSO Super Great, fully complies with the Japanese emission standards JP17, includes the HDEP (Heavy Duty Engine Platform) Fuel Efficiency Package and was further optimized regarding consumption and emissive efficiency as well as payload compared to its preceding powertrain. The engine is manufactured in the Mercedes-Benz plant Mannheim.
The automated manual transmission (AMT), installed in the FUSO Super Great, also comes from the latest heavy duty transmission generation. The so-called ShiftPilot transmission is produced at the Gaggenau plant and contributes to the reduction in fuel consumption as well. The automated 12-gear-transmission perceivably increases the driver’s comfort, according to Daimler.
The heavy duty truck axle of the FUSO Super Great is a good examplefor the successful cooperation in the global powertrain production network. The axle is locally manufactured and installed at the Japanese plant in Kawasaki. The centerpiece is the axle gear, transmitting the engine power to the driving wheel. It is produced in the Mercedes-Benz plant Kassel as well as the US plant of the powertrain subsidiary Detroit in Redford, Michigan.
State-of-the-art safety systems
The new Super Great features state-of-the-art safety and assistance systems for the first time in the Japanese market. These systems already make all Daimler Trucks commercial vehicles the safest vehicles in Europe and North America. The emergency braking system Active Brake Assist 4 (ABA4), the fatigue alert Active Attention Assist and the turning assistant Active Sideguard Assist minimize accident and danger risks for the driver as well as all other road users, therefore contributing to a safer and more efficient freight transport.
Connectivity through the Truck Data Center
To minimize downtime, the telematics function Truckonnect is available as standard in all models and enables the customer to make real-time requests for all crucial truck data. This is achieved by connecting the truck to the internet with the Truck Data Center, globally installed in the brands Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner and FUSO. The Truck Data Center is – so to speak – the heart of the connected truck: With this hardware module Daimler Trucks vehicles can be equipped with innovative electronics components beyond the regions and markets much faster. FUSO is the first Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturer to offer this service.
Also visually a lot has happened – FUSO has completely reworked the interieur and exterior of the new Super Great and now offers the drivers improved comfort and operability. Besides new seats and a new stearing wheel, a digital dashboard and the Truck Center Control with touch screen are installed in the cockpit.
Discussion about this post