Hino Trucks Innovative Model 195h Named ATD Medium Duty Commercial Truck of the Year

NOVI, Mich., Feb. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hino Trucks Class 5 diesel-electric hybrid model 195h took home ATD's 2013 Medium Duty Commercial Truck of the Year award.  Hino has taken home this award each time a truck was submitted into the annual contest - Hino's model 268 won in 2010 and Model 338 won in 2011.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130211/DE57975 )

Hino 195h was selected for the medium-duty (Class 3-7) category after impressing the judges with its comfort, great visibility, maneuverability, high-tech equipment and smooth, fuel-saving operation.  The trucks were selected from a field of five medium-duty trucks and a five-member panel of journalists evaluated the trucks last October. The judging categories included innovation, design, safety and driver satisfaction.  "Every year the challenge is greater and greater," said judge Paul Hartley, writer and owner of AddMedia. "The manufacturers bring the best in the game."

"We are honored to once again accept this prestigious award from the American Truck Dealers Association," said Bob McDowell, Sr. Vice President of Sales & Customer Support for Hino.  "The innovation and technical advancements in our 195h diesel-electric hybrid are unmatched in the industry today.  We successfully launched the truck this fall in California and we are happy to report that to date, we have deployed 130 trucks into the Californian market."

Hino Trucks will continue its roll out of the 195h model by offering it through its dealers in the
Eastern, Northeast, Southeast and Sunbelt metropolitan areas in April, and all states by June.

The Class 5 COE is also offered as a diesel model 195. Both the 195 and 195h models will carry a 19,500 lb. GVW rating, with an optional de-rate 17,500 lb GVW rating, and are powered by the award winning Hino Series engine. The 5-liter engine is rated at 210 hp and 440 lb. ft. of torque. Utilizing Aisin's A465, 6-speed automatic transmission, the Hino hybrid is the first to be packaged with an automatic transmission.

Both models feature an ergonomically friendly wide cab with a North American standard 33-inch frame rail width, a 56,900 PSI frame, and a standard center mounted rear fuel tank. The cab's styling emphasizes aerodynamics and visibility with an angled windshield, narrow pillars and rounded-radius curves. Inside, the new cab uses its increased width to provide room for drivers up to 6 ft. 6 in. tall, seating for three and a versatile mobile workspace with a variety of organizational storage options. Both the 195 and 195h are available as a standard 2-door cab, or are available in a 4-door double cab.

About Hino: Hino Trucks, a Toyota Group Company, assembles, sells, and services the most environmentally friendly lineup of Class 5-7 commercial trucks in the United States. In 2012, Hino introduced its Class 5 cab-over diesel-electric trucks making diesel-electric hybrids a viable option in the U.S. commercial truck industry for the first time. Headquartered in Novi, Michigan, Hino boasts a network of over 200 dealers nationwide committed to achieving excellence in customer service and support. Hino Trucks is the premier medium duty nameplate in the United States with a product lineup that offers the lowest total cost of ownership, superior fuel economy, unmatched reliability and maneuverability, and the most comprehensive bundle of standard features in the market. For more information, visit our internet home page at www.hino.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About ATD: ATD represents about 2,000 medium- and heavy-duty truck dealers. ATD members share in NADA's programs, services and benefits. ATD hosts an annual convention for dealers and dealership managers. For more information, visit www.atd.org.

SOURCE Hino Trucks