Hino Announces Enhancements to 2002 Model Trucks

ORANGEBURG, NY., July 24, 2001 ­  Hino Diesel Trucks (USA) has announced its
2002 lineup of Class 4-7 cabover trucks.  "The new model year features
several enhancements that make a great product line even better," said Ted
J. Fick, Hino¹s senior vice president.  "Our Class 4, FA model, can now
accommodate an 18-foot body, and we're offering Allison automatic
transmissions on our Class 4 and 5 models.  We're also offering a
high-capacity, 105 Amp, low maintenance-brushless alternators across our
product line.  This allows extra capacity and gives more safety margin for
customer added electrical devices.

According to Fick, Hino is constantly working to engineer the best products
possible for its customers.  "And that effort continues to pay off," he
emphasized.  "We feel paying attention to customer applications and
committing to provide quality products are two reasons why our trucks were
recently ranked by J.D. Power and Associates as the industry's top
medium-duty cabover, as determined in their 2000 Medium Duty Truck Customer
Satisfaction Study."*

2002 Model Year Lineup

Class 4 FA4J Series: This Class 4 truck series features a GVW rating of
15,000 pounds and GCW rating of 21,000 pounds.  Hino FAs are powered by a
4-valve overhead cam, 4-cylinder diesel engine that produces 168 horsepower
at 2500 rpm.  It drives through either a 5-speed direct drive synchromesh
transmission, or through a 4-speed Allison AT542 automatic transmission.
Hino customers report that this model can achieve fuel economy as high as 17
mpg.  

According to Fick, "Hino is the only Japanese truck that uses a U.S.-built
automatic transmission across the product lineup.  By going this route,
we've essentially doubled the life expectancy of the transmission while even
further lowering life-cycle costs for our customers."

Capacity has also been increased on the FA.  Customers can now order an FA
with wheelbases from 115 inches to 165 inches -- accommodating 12-18 foot
bodies. 

Class 5 FB4J Series:  The FB Series features a GVW rating of 17,600 pounds
and GCW rating of 26,400 pounds.  Like its slightly smaller brother, the FA,
it is powered by a 4-valve overhead cam, 4-cylinder diesel engine which
produces 168 horsepower at 2500 rpm. It's also driven through either a
5-speed direct drive synchromesh transmission, or through a 4-speed Allison
AT542 automatic transmission.  Hino says customers report fuel economy as
high as 16 mpg. The FB can accommodate 14-18 foot bodies.

"The FB is a great work truck, especially when ordered with the 3.636 gear
ratio," said Fick.  "Our standard gearing allows the truck to have a near-80
mph road speed, and it can cruise easily at 65 mph, posting excellent fuel
economy.  What¹s more, it has high torque which makes our 4-cylinder engine
perform more like an expensive 6-cylinder model."

Class 6 FD2J Series: This Class 6 truck features a GVW rating of 23,000
pounds and GCW rating of 35,000 pounds.  The wheelbase ranges from 148
inches to 217 inches to accommodate 16 to 24 foot bodies.

The FD is powered by a 4-valve overhead cam, 6-cylinder diesel engine which
produces 200 horsepower at 2500 rpm.  It's driven through either a 6-speed
overdrive synchromesh transmission, or through a new Allison 2400P World
transmission which features a "park" position.  The new five-speed automatic
transmission also features a "power position" and "economy position" for
better driving performance.  What's more, it has a lockup torque converter
with a standard exhaust brake and PTO openings on both sides of the
transmission.  "We can now offer PTO capability on our engine and
transmission on our 6-cylinder trucks," said Fick.  "This engine driven
feature is a low cost option of around $500, and it's a significant
advantage on our trucks -- other truck makes charge up to $5,000 for a
flywheel PTO option."

Other improvements on the FD for 2002 include a high-mount fan that improves
cooling capabilities while keeping noise to a minimum.

Class 6 FE2J and Class 7 FF2J Series: The FE features a GVW rating of 25,995
pounds and GCW rating of 40,000 pounds, while the FF features a GVW rating
of 30,000 pounds and GCW rating of 45,000 pounds.  The FE can accommodate
16-28 foot bodies, while the FF is designed for 18-26 foot bodies.  Engines
in each model are the same and feature a 4-valve overhead cam, 6-cylinder
diesel engine which produces 200 horsepower at 2500 rpm.  Like the FD, the
FE and FF are available with a six-speed overdrive synchromesh transmission
-- or optional Allison 2400P World transmission on the FE and Allison 2000
Automatic on the FF.

Class 7 SG2J Series:  Hino's SG trucks have a GVW rating of 32,900 pounds
and GCW rating of up to 50,000 pounds.  The SGs can be spec'd with a longer
wheelbase for 2002 (244 inches) which allows 19-28 foot bodies to be used.
The SGs are driven by 4-valve overhead cam, 6-cylinder diesel engine which
produce up to 252 horsepower at 2500 rpm.  New for 2002 is an inexpensive
engine-driven PTO option -- available with either manual 6-speed or Allison
5-speed automatic transmission.  Hino is the only Japanese manufacturer of
Class 7 cabovers that offers an automatic transmission.  Other new features
include the high mount fan center for better cooling, and "power assist"
with the manual transmission that reduces shift effort by 60 percent.

Hino Diesel Trucks (USA), a Toyota-owned company, is a leading supplier of
Class 4-7 cabover trucks throughout the United States. Hino was the first
Japanese truck and bus manufacturer to enter the U.S. market and has been an
active participant in the North American market for 17 years.  To learn more
about Hino, visit the company's website at www.hino.comHino
webiste -- http://www.hino.com/prod.shtml .