32Irish Launch for New FUSO CanterKillashee House in County Kildare provided the backdrop for the Irish launch of the new FUSO Canter,long regarded as one of the most practical and economical trucks of its kind on the ro<strong>ad</strong>; as <strong>Export</strong> &<strong>Freight</strong>’s Helen Beggs reports, this new truck is the first to be fitted with a dual clutch transmission.remote keyless entry, multifunctiondisplay, manual DPFregeneration, ABS with EBD, and<strong>ad</strong>ditional storage solutions.The new spacious cab featuresfull usable central seat,<strong>ad</strong>justable steering wheel, rake& height, a more functional andappealing dashboard with betterergonomics, more and betterlocated storage space, a newmulti-functional electronic displayand re-engineered Isringhausenseats, together with integratedhe<strong>ad</strong> rest and lumber support asstandard. A Pioneer Bluetoothr<strong>ad</strong>io also comes as standard.A new <strong>ad</strong>dition to the rangeis an extra-long wheelbase of4750 mm for bodies up to 7000mm in length, a 3.5 t Canterproducing 129 kW (175 hp).From an exterior point of view, thenew Canter looks impressive, withits robust three-part steel bumperand practical plastic cornersections, as well as the V-shapedr<strong>ad</strong>iator grille – and a newcathodic dip priming process usedon the driver’s cab, along with thepowder-coating process used onthe frame help to ensure ultimatelong-term corrosion protection.TargetedThe new Canter is beingaimed at local authorities, fooddistribution operators, agriculturalmachinery suppliers, transportlogistics operators, as well asthose involved in the renewableenergy sector, horticulture, andforestry, so it is a wide net thatshould maintain Canter’s loyaland growing popularity onIrish ro<strong>ad</strong>s for years to come.To summarise: the standardspecification for the Irishmarket includes Euro 5 engines,exhaust brake, independentfront suspension (3.5 t models),disc brakes front and rear, ABSwith electronic brake forcedistribution, multi-function display,heavy duty battery, heated O/Smirrors, front fog lamps, remotecentral locking and immobiliserand digital tachograph (7.5tmodel). Impressive, or what?As you’ve probably alre<strong>ad</strong>y re<strong>ad</strong>in this issue, we’ve been out andabout in the new Canter to putit through its paces and it hasnot only lived up to expectations,but far exceeded them, so theCanter success story continuesto go from strength to strength.RK Trucks Managing Director,Donal Rice with Darren Forsythe,FUSO Sales Executive, RK Truckshe launch of the newCanter in 3.5 tonne andT7.5 tonne variants couldn’thave been better timed, withthe economy beginning toshow signs of growth afterseveral years in the doldrumsduring which time the marketcontracted by nearly 80% .Ford, Isuzu and FUSO are, ofcourse, tr<strong>ad</strong>itional market le<strong>ad</strong>ers,with the Canter maintaininga 20% plus market sharethroughout those difficult days,though volumes are way belowthe highs of 2006. That said,projected sales for 2012, reckonFuso, should be well ahe<strong>ad</strong> of the2009 low – and this new truckwill certainly drive volumes.The Canter has been a successin Europe since 1963 andhere in Ireland it has soldaround 10,000 units sinceits introduction in 1984.So what exactly is ‘new’ aboutthe Canter? Well, just abouteverything. But its main claim tofame is probably the introductionof Duonic, a six-speed dual clutchtransmission, which is a world‘first.’ In <strong>ad</strong>dition to lower fuelconsumption, the direct-shifttransmission – well-known fromits use in passenger cars – causesless wear to auxiliary equipment,reduces the burden on the driverand combines the conveniencebenefits of an automatictransmission with the economyof a manual transmission.The transmission with wear-freeclutch changes gears smoothlyand with virtually no interruptionto ro<strong>ad</strong> <strong>ad</strong>hesion, but withoutthe torque converter losses forwhich the automatic transmissionis known; if required, manualshifting is also possible at anytime. The fully automatedtransmission is available as analternative to the standardfive-speed transmission.The transmission is paired withthe tried-and-tested Euro 5 fourcylinderturbo diesel engine.It is available in three poweroutput levels of 96 kW (130hp), 110 kW (150 hp) and 129kW (175 hp) - and now alsoavailable as an option with start/stop function for Duonic and amanual transmission; FUSO saythis technology helps to reducethe alre<strong>ad</strong>y low fuel consumptionof the Canter in short distancedriving applications by up to afurther 3%. And there’s more - anew ‘Eco mode’ function thatcomes as standard could saveyou up to another 8% in urbanapplications. Extension of theservice interval from 30,000to 40,000 km also contributesto its economic efficiency.New SpecOther upgr<strong>ad</strong>ed specificationon the new Canter includesindependent front suspension,New Fuso Canter Launch 1pg.<strong>indd</strong> 32 20/03/2012 11:16
RK Trucks Centre Belfast & Dungannon028 9081 3600 078 13813101 www.rktrucks.com darren@rktrucks.comRK Trucks New Fuso Canter <strong>fp</strong> <strong>ad</strong>.<strong>indd</strong> 1 09/03/2012 14:24
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