Shah Alam, 9 August 2010 - Daihatsu (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (DMSB) today underscored its appointment as a Hino 3S dealer (sale, service & spare parts) which will effectively see the company expanding to now offer customers the full range of commercial vehicles from pick-ups and light commercial vehicles to medium-range and heavy commercial vehicles.

While the sale of commercial pick-up vehicles is led by the Daihatsu brand, DMSB’s light, medium-range and heavy commercial vehicle segment will now be spearheaded by the Hino range of vehicles which currently consists of some 29 models and variants that include buses, tankers, car carriers, general cargo trucks, tow trucks and prime movers.

“Now with the ability to offer a larger and wider range of vehicles to our customers, and our expansion into the medium-range and heavy commercial vehicle segment, DMSB is optimistic that this newly-forged relationship with Hino will not only significantly contribute to growing the business of DMSB to a new and higher level, but in the process, help us evolve into becoming a more competitive player in the Malaysian commercial vehicle market,” said DMSB Managing Director Belinda H E Lim. 

“DMSB has allocated RM20 million which will go towards the construction of dedicated 3S centres and upgrading of existing sales and service facilities in Shah Alam, Ipoh, Butterworth, Batu Pahat, Johor Baru and Kota Kinabalu,” she said.

“Daihatsu and Hino are members of the Toyota Group in Japan and by adding Hino products to the DMSB stable, we are extending our variety and reach to our discerning customers,” added Lim.

Meanwhile, the system and infrastructure is already in place at all six DMSB branches nationwide which have already started to service and attend to the maintenance requirements of all ranges of Hino vehicles.

Having firmly established itself as the market leader in the sale of light commercial vehicles in the 4,500 – 5,000kg gross vehicle weight segment – a position it has held for the last 9 consecutive years - DMSB has its sights on becoming a one-stop commercial vehicle solutions provider for its customers.

In addition to its access to the Hino stable of vehicles, this will also be achieved by further strengthening the Daihatsu brand’s presence in the commercial vehicle market. Meanwhile, the service and maintenance of Daihatsu Delta trucks will carry on unchanged at existing dedicated Daihatsu service centres.

Later this year, DMSB will be re-entering the van segment - a segment that it had once thrived in with the previous Hijet models - with the launch of its first model to be unveiled at the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show in December.

“From the acceptance and overwhelming success this model has received especially in countries like Indonesia, and in other countries in Africa and the Middle East, we are confident that its size, practicality, competitive pricing, low cost of ownership, reliability and durability, will make it an attractive proposition to customers,” said Lim, adding that DMSB was projecting to sell in the region of 80 units per month.