HINO truck sales are back on track in Australia after passing regulatory hurdles associated with disputes over fuel certification tests.

But the Toyota-owned truck maker has pulled the Poncho bus model from Australia. The Poncho, a light bus aimed at short-haul duties, was a low-volume model for Hino in Australia.

It was targeted by the special investigation committee that identified the fuel certification concerns – basically how the fuel economy and emission tests were carried out and how they arrived at the results – of certain Hino models.

Hino Motors Sales Australia (HMSA) said that in August 2022, it voluntarily suspended the importation and sale of Poncho bus models based on the committee findings.

Now, Hino has withdrawn the Poncho from sale in Australia.

In a statement, HMSA said that it “continues to believe that Poncho buses meet the relevant regulatory requirements for the vehicle, we have made this difficult decision in light of the regulatory processes that apply to the recommencement of sales of a small volume of vehicles.”

HMSA also recommenced the sale of the 500 Series Standard Cab vehicles in December 2022 after repeating testing procedures and then confirming compliance of those vehicles to the relevant standards in Australia.

HMSA’s statement said that “Following Hino Motor Limited’s (HML’s) announcement on August 3, 2022 related to irregularities in emissions testing in Japan, Hino Motor Ltd suspended the export of 500 Series Standard Cab FC, FD, FE medium-duty trucks and Hino Poncho Buses to Australia.”

“HMSA, as the distributor of Hino vehicles in Australia, suspended its import and supply of these models in Australia.”

“The investigation was commissioned in March 2022, following HML identifying past misconduct in relation to its applications for certification concerning the emissions and fuel economy performance of its engines for the Japanese market.

“The SIC report has identified misconduct in relation to Japanese emissions certification tests that have been relied on for the sale of a number of engine variants in Hino 500 Series Standard Cab FC, FD, FE medium-duty trucks and Hino Poncho Buses sold in Australia.

“The misconduct concerning engine certification does not affect the drivability of the affected vehicles and raises no vehicle safety concerns.

“HML is treating these matters seriously and is committed to continuing to review and improve its emissions certification procedures. HML has voluntarily put on hold the shipment of vehicles fitted with affected engines while it engages with the relevant authorities in Japan.”

Hino Motor Sales Australia (HMSA), as the distributor of Hino vehicles in Australia, will also suspend imports and deliveries of affected vehicles to dealers.

It said: “HMSA will also not accept any new orders for the affected vehicles pending the outcome of HML’s engagement with the authorities in Japan. HMSA is committed to working with dealers and customers about these issues and engaging with the relevant authorities in Australia.”

The certification issue affected other models more severely. In Japan, Hino announced it will restart sales of its Liesse II light duty bus – a Japanese domestic market bus – after fitting it with a Toyota engine.

The upgraded Liesse II model was launched in Japan last month with the Toyota 1GD engine, replacing the Hino N04C (Urea SCR) engine.

Hino Motor Ltd said that the N04C (Urea-SCR) engines “are no longer being installed in the Hino Liesse II.”

“For other vehicles and equipment that were scheduled to be equipped with the same engine, Hino will continue to consider alternative options, including the installation of other engine models,” it said.

The N04C is also used in some variants of the Hino 300 Series, Toyota Dyna, Hino Dutro and Toyota Coaster.

By Neil Dowling