The Fuso Shogun 510, MAN TG3, Kenworth K220 and Iveco S-Way are going head-to-head in the battle to be named this year’s inaugural Truck of the Year at the Brisbane Truck Show in May
International judging criteria, applied by a panel of experienced industry experts will determine which brand takes home the trophy in the inaugural Truck of the Year Australasia Awards to be announced at the Brisbane Truck Show in May.
The plan for the new award is to have it as an annual event to be hosted in either Australia or New Zealand in alternate years – starting in Brisbane this year, and New Zealand in 2024.
At the heart of the award criteria is a to have trucks nominated for their standards of safety and their efficiency in transporting goods in the Australasian markets they serve.
Fuso Truck and Bus Australia director Alex Müller says it’s exciting to be on the list.
“We are very pleased to see the Shogun 510 make the finals of the Truck of the Year Australasia award,” he says. “The Shogun 510 is a very special truck because it was developed for the hard-working truck drivers of Australia and New Zealand. It is a great example of listening to your customers and giving them exactly what they want.”
Mr Müller says the Shogun 510 combines the robustness of a Japanese truck with the power normally found in trucks from Europe and North America in a package that also includes the latest generation active safety technology.
“Australian and New Zealand customers love their horsepower and their Japanese trucks. We thought it made sense to combine them both and the Shogun 510 has been huge hit,” he says.
Fuso will present the Shogun 510 as a tipper for the first time at the Brisbane Truck Show next month, while a prime mover version of the same truck will also be on hand.
The 510 Tipper specification model has the lightest tare weight of any tipper with 500hp-plus in Australia and New Zealand, which is a boost for productivity.
The Shogun 510 was developed specifically for Australian and New Zealand customers who asked for an advanced Japanese truck with more than 500hp and a mountain of torque.
Fuso listened and sourced a 13-litre OM471 engine from the Daimler Truck family, creating the ultimate Japanese truck that belts out 510hp and 2500Nm of torque while meeting Euro 6 emission standards, well ahead of local mandates. The package also includes a smart shifting DT12 fully Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), which is well-suited to the potent engine.
The Fuso Shogun is available as a prime mover that can be used for single trailer or B-Double work. A rigid version was also made available recently and is a very popular specification for tipper and dog work thanks to its power and torque.
The Shogun is also backed by a generous Fuso manufacturer warranty that covers the truck for five years or 500,000km, whichever comes first.
The winner of the inaugural Truck of the Year Australasia award will be announced at the Brisbane Truck Show that runs from May 18 to 21 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.