Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), part of Daimler Trucks, announced that it will appoint Sojitz Fuso Philippines Corporation (SFP) as its new General Distributor (GD) for FUSO products in the Philippines, replacing Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC). The newly formed business unit under Sojitz Corporation will assume operations in the first quarter of 2019.
The signing ceremony took place in Manila on October 26th, with representatives from Sojitz Corporation (Mr. Hideo Hatada, General Manager of Automotive Dept. 3), Sojitz Fuso Philippines Corporation (Mr. Takatsugu Nitanai, President & CEO) and Daimler Commercial Vehicles Southeast Asia (Mr. Thomas Hilse, CEO).
During the event, Mr. Thomas Hilse, CEO of Daimler Commercial Vehicles South East Asia Pte. Ltd. stated: “The Philippines is one of the fastest growing markets in this key region. We appreciate MMPC’s long-term support in this crucial market and are proud to tie up with SFP a reliable local partner solely dedicated to our trucks and buses – to step up our game. This new strategic setup will allow us to ensure utmost customer dedication with our products and services at all times.”
FUSO vehicles have been sold in the Philippines since 1969. The current FUSO range encompasses light, medium and heavy duty trucks as well as light buses shipped as complete built units (CBU).
Public investments under the current administration in infrastructure projects such as expressways, expansion of airports and flood control projects have seen an increased need for heavy duty trucks. The launch of the medium FJ1823 and heavy FJ2528C FUSO trucks this year underline FUSO’s commitment to offer the right product mix to fully meet future market needs in the Philippines.
The existing FUSO dealer network under MMPC will be transferred to SFP. A mutual agreement between MMPC, Sojitz and MFTBC has been reached to guarantee smooth continuation of the FUSO business. To further strengthen the local sales and service network, three FUSO dedicated dealerships have been inaugurated to date. These are: Diamond Motors Corporation in North Metro Manila (December 2016), Best Southern Genesis Motors Inc. in Kawit (September 2018), Carworld Inc. in Pampanga (October 2018). In addition, MFTBC aims to increase “FUSO-only” dealerships in strategic locations across the Philippines over the next few years.
The move to a local general distributor dedicated to commercial vehicles is part of Daimler’s global strategy to allow its business units to exclusively focus on their respective customers’ needs. Moreover, since 2016, Daimler started to establish Regional Centers in major regions worldwide to intensify relationships with its local markets and customers in the commercial vehicle sector.
