Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Co., Ltd. celebrated the 90th anniversary of the “Fuso” brand in May 2022.
Fuso Celebrates 90th Anniversary
In 1932, the Fuso brand was used for the first time in the bus “B46 type shared car” manufactured by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. The 7-meter, 38-seater bus was equipped with a 7-liter, 6-cylinder, 100-horsepower gasoline engine. In commemoration of the first delivery of the B46 type bus to the Ministry of Railways, “Fuso” was adopted as a result of an in-house public offering for the nickname of the bus. This vehicle’s name was decided by an in-house recruitment, and the engineer of the shipyard. The proposal was suitable as a representative of Japan, a simple Japanese name that symbolises Japan and Mitsubishi.
Fuso initially has been refered as a big sacred tree that is said to be in the place of sunrise in China which also means as hibiscus (Mukuge). It is said that it has been used as a synonym for Japan since ancient times in China. Following the first issue, the nickname “Fuso” is used one after another for major products such as the gasoline engine 4-ton truck KT1 (1946), Japan’s first large cab over truck T380, and Japan’s first minibus Rosa (1960). In line with Japan’s high economic growth in the Showa era, Fuso has a full lineup of small to large products for both trucks and buses, playing an important role in economic development.
MFTBC separated its commercial vehicle division from Mitsubishi Motors Corporation in 2003, and made a new start as a member of Daimler Kreisler as “Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Co., Ltd.“ In the spring of 2006, he joined the truck group organised within Daimler Chrysler and is now a member of Daimler Trucks, delivering Fuso brand trucks and buses to more than 170 countries and regions, not only in Japan but around the world. It supports transportation and the economy. The light-duty truck “Canter” is highly regarded around the world and holds the top share in many countries. In 2017, Japan’s first mass-produced electric light-duty truck “eCanter,” lead the electrification of commercial vehicles.
In 2021, just before the 90th anniversary of its founding, Fuso set up “Future Together” as a new brand slogan. Under this new slogan, Fuso will lead the transformation of commercial vehicles together with their customers in the automobile industry, which is facing a major turning point, and aim for the future of a safe and sustainable transportation business. Fuso will continue to strive to develop excellent products with the highest priority on “quality, environment, and safety” for their customers.
