Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Inc.

Type	Wholly owned subsidiary
Industry	Transportation
Founded	1985 (1985)
Headquarters	Logan Township, New Jersey , U.S.
Number of locations	201 dealers across the U.S. (Incl. Puerto Rico and Guam) and Canada, as of 15 November 2013
Area served	United States and Canada
Key people	Jecka Glasman (President and CEO)[1] Dr. Michael Munz (Chief Financial Officer) [2] Bill Lyons (VP Sales Operations)
Products	Commercial work trucks (Class 3 through Class 5; until 2021)
Services	Dealer service training
Owners	Mitsubishi Fuso
Parent	Daimler Truck (89.29%) Mitsubishi Group (10.71%)
Subsidiaries	Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of Canada
Website	http://www.mitfuso.com

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Inc. (MFTA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), Kawasaki, Japan, itself a part of Daimler Truck^[3] based in Logan Township, New Jersey, United States. MFTA imported and marketed Class 3 through Class 5 medium-duty cabover trucks through more than 200 dealer locations in the United States (including Puerto Rico and Guam) and Canada, until 2021. As of 2019, MFTA imported and marketed diesel-powered, gas-powered, and electric trucks. According to the company, more than 100,000 Mitsubishi Fuso standard, 4-wheel-drive and crew cab trucks had been sold in the Canadian and U.S. markets since the company's founding. Applications included beverage, catering, refrigerated and dry cargo delivery, vehicle recovery, towing, pest control, plumbing, light construction and landscaping, overlanding, among others.^[4]

Company history

Established in 1985,^[5] MFTA signed its first dealer and sold its first truck in the U.S. in 1986. By the end of that year, the company had enlisted 41 dealers and had total retail sales of 89 trucks.

In 1990, the company introduced its FG model 4-wheel-drive cabover into the North American market. The company expanded operations into Canada in 1999,^[6] and sold its 60,000th truck in the North American market in 2001. In 2002 MFTA introduced its FE145 Crew Cab model, followed by redesigned FE and FG models in 2004. By 2005, the company had sold 80,000 trucks and added a 5-year powertrain limited warranty covering all of its models.^[7]

In September 2009, the company signed its 200th dealer (Washington Auto Carriage, Spokane, WA).^[8] Shortly after, with 175 dealers operating in the U.S. and 25 operating in Canada, it signed a new dealership agreement that expanded its reach into Puerto Rico for the first time.^[9] On December 30, 2009, the company sold its 100,000th truck in North America to LaVallee's Bakery Distributors, Waltham, MA.^[10]

In March 2011, MFTA introduced a new line of Class 3 through Class 5 medium duty commercial trucks to the North American market, designated the Canter FE/FG Series. For the first time, the parent company (MFTBC) applied the name Canter—the model name used throughout the rest of the world—to its line of light medium-duty trucks marketed in the NAFTA region.^[11]

MFTA expanded its dealer network again in November 2013, when it signed an agreement with a dealership on the island of Guam.^[12]

In March 2014, the company introduced a new Class 3 model, the Fuso Canter FE130, with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 13,200 lb., 6% higher than the 12,500 lb. GVWR of the FE125 model it replaced.^[13]

Models

MFTA offered the following models for sale in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam:^[14]

• Canter FE130 Diesel: Class 3 cabover work truck with GVWR of 13,200 lb.^[15]
• Canter FE140 Gas: Class 4 cabover work truck with GVWR of 14,500 lb.
• Canter FE160 Diesel: Class 4 cabover work truck with GVWR of 15,995 lb.
• Canter FE160 Gas: Class 4 cabover work truck with GVWR of 15,995 lb.
• Canter FE160CC Diesel: Class 4 cabover work truck with 7-passenger crew cab and GVWR of 15,995 lb.
• Canter FE160CC Gas: Class 4 cabover work truck with 7-passenger crew cab and GVWR of 15,995 lb.
• Canter FE180 Diesel: Class 5 cabover work truck with GVWR of 17,995 lb.
• Canter FE180 Gas: Class 5 cabover work truck with GVWR of 17,995 lb.
• Canter FG4X4 Diesel: Class 4 4-wheel-drive cabover work truck with GVWR of 14,050 lb. (discontinued in 2020)
• eCanter: Battery electric work truck with GVWR of 15,995 lb.

Engines/transmissions

Primary competitors

All Mitsubishi Fuso trucks were of the low-cab-over-engine (LCOE) configuration, also known as low-cab-forward (LCF), or simply as cabovers. Consequently, the company's primary competitors in the North American market were other manufacturers/marketers of medium-duty cabover trucks; namely: Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Inc., a subsidiary of Isuzu Motors and Hino Trucks USA, a subsidiary of Hino Motors. Historically, the company also competed with GMC Medium Duty cabover trucks, but as of July 31, 2009, GM closed the plant that manufactured its medium duty commercial trucks, including its cabover models and announced it was withdrawing from the medium-duty commercial truck market. The same GM plant also manufactured Isuzu class 6 and class 7 models and Isuzu class 3 gasoline-engine cabover models.^[19] In the 2010s, GM reintroduced medium duty commercial trucks - examples include the Chevrolet Low Cab Forward, Chevrolet Silverado chassis cab, GMC Savana Cutaway, and GMC Sierra HD chassis cab. Nissan Diesel America was also a competitor in the U.S.

Secondarily, MFTA competed with makers of conventional medium-duty trucks. Those were: Ford, Freightliner Medium Duty, International Medium Duty, Kenworth Medium Duty, and Peterbilt Medium Duty.^[20] As of 2019, Kenworth marketed two medium-duty cabover truck models in the U.S., the Kenworth K270 (Class 6) and K370 (Class 7). Peterbilt sold a medium-duty cabover truck model in the U.S. also, the Peterbilt 220.

References