Stuttgart/Germany/Kawasaki/Japan, May 24, 2012

Leader in Green Innovation

Daimler Launches Sale of New Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid Truck in Japan

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With the sales launch of the new ‚Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid’, Daimler Trucks subsidiary Fuso extends its claim to leadership in fuel efficiency and overall economy.

Daimler’s Japanese commercial vehicle subsidiary, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), has launched the sale of its innovative Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid truck in Japan. The light duty truck, which celebrated its world premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show – Japan’s largest automotive exhibition – in November 2011, will also be introduced by Fuso in Europe and other international markets in the third quarter of this year.

For Fuso this represents a consistent advancement on its way to take a leading role in the field of green innovation. The predecessor model of today’s Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid was already launched back in 2006. The right-hand drive hybrid vehicle has been sold more than 1,200 times in markets like Japan, Australia, Ireland, and Hong Kong. The positive response it received on the markets led to the decision to offer the second-generation model in both a right- and left-hand drive version. The Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid is also the world’s first commercial vehicle that combines a DUONIC dual-clutch transmission with a hybrid engine. As a result, the vehicle boasts high fuel efficiency, while also combining the comfort of an automatic transmission with the economy of a stick-shift.

The new hybrid truck’s nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions are 30 percent lower than the limits set by Japan’s current emission standard (JP09), which has been in effect since 2010. When compared to the current Fuso Canter with a conventional diesel engine, moreover, the hybrid version uses more than 25 percent less fuel during a Japanese driving cycle.

Fuso is already one of the world’s leading manufacturers of commercial vehicles in terms of alternative drive systems. The hybrid variant of the Fuso Canter volume truck also proved itself during a three-year fleet test in London from 2008 to 2011. The results of these trials have contributed significantly to the further development of the Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid.

The highly efficient and economical hybrid truck is the latest innovation to come out of the Global Hybrid Center (GHC) in Kawasaki, Japan. The GHC, which serves as Daimler Trucks’ global center of competence for the development of hybrid vehicles, manages and synchronizes the hybrid related activities of all truck brands within the Daimler Group.

Through its continued commitment to alternative drive system technologies, Fuso is making an important contribution to the implementation of Daimler Truck’s “Shaping Future Transportation” global initiative, which was launched in 2007. This initiative is focused, among other things, on reducing pollutants, carbon dioxide, and fuel consumption through the utilization of clean, efficient drive systems and alternative fuels.

The new Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid represents an important milestone on the way to implementing the FUSO 2015 growth strategy, which was launched in October 2011. The goal of becoming the leader in the field of green innovation is one of the strategy’s five main pillars. The focus here is on achieving a 7.5 percent reduction in CO2 emissions between now and 2015 by making Fuso’s products, plants, infrastructure, and supply chain even more environmentally friendly.

Based in Kawasaki, Japan, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) is one of Asia’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers. Daimler AG owns 89.29 percent of MFTBC shares; various Mitsubishi Group companies hold the remaining 10.71 percent. In 2011, Daimler Trucks sold approximately 147,700 vehicles under the Fuso brand name – including light, medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses.