Toyota is back in the  HEAVY ARENA Toyota SA Trucks once again has the right ammunition to fight the good fight in the heavy vehicle market segment with the launch of the Hino Profia 6x4 and 4x2 truck models. However, what started out as an exciting event for Toyota, had an immediate and severe setback as a result of the motor industry strike. This will not, however, detract from the long-term viability of these new contenders writes Patrick O'Leary. All dressed up and nowhere to go. That's the position Toyota SA Trucks found itself in after launching its new Hino Profia contenders onto the South Africa market. Great expectations turned to sweet zilch last month when the NUMSA motor industry strike prevented the production of even one of the new Hino Profia truck tractors at the Durban plant. As a result, sales were lost to the opposition due to Toyota being unable to supply.   "We had a waiting list of prospective buyers but because of the strike, we were unable to fulfil all the orders and some customers couldn't wait. We lost about 12 unit sales to various opposition products which equates to about R7,2-million at retail level," says Henk Maree, director of Toyota SA Trucks. (See Editor's Comment on page 2). It was a lousy start to what FleetWatch contends will be a long term success story.

The cab of the 6x4 57-370 Hino Profia. Nomenclature of 57-370 refers to 57 000kg GCM and 370 horsepower. Henk Maree (left) and IJ Greef. Taking a step by step approach to moving up the heavy ladder. IJ Greef behind the controls. "It's all about appropriate technology".

However, what FleetWatch has dubbed the 'grand strike of no winners' is now over so let's put the bad news behind us and move on to why we think the Hino Profia will be a success. Quite simply, it's because we feel that not only are the products right for the market but also because the approach being adopted by Toyota to these trucks and the way they fit into the market is also the right one.

Since 1994, the trucking industry has had some real classic cases of promises being made but not kept. And Toyota has personal experience of this via its short-lived association with Peterbilt some years ago. If ever there was an odd move, that was it. However, on the bright side it was Thomas Huxley who said: "There is the greatest practical benefit in making a few failures early in life."

The fact that Toyota has benefited from that mistake came through strongly in the launch presentation when Maree kept referring to the Peterbilt experience. For example: Mention 6x4s and one immediately thinks of the long haul sector. To be honest, when FleetWatch heard that one of the new models was the 28,5-ton GVM 6x4 Hino Profia fitted with the 370 HP Hino K13C turbo intercooled engine (successor to the EK100 sold in South Africa prior to the ADE era), we too thought this would be a contender in the long haul market. And to continue on the honest path, it somehow didn't impart a warm and comfortable feeling for FleetWatch remembers well the Peterbilt saga. But no, it's not directed at this sector. Why? Well, listen to what Maree says. "We learnt from our Peterbilt experience that the long haul sector is a specialised one which operates to a different culture and we're not ready to go that way yet. We will only go there when we are confident we have in place the correct sales, back-up and support infrastructure to fully service that sector." Certainly plans are in the pipeline to expand the range upwards with a 400HP Hino Profia model but as Maree says, it's a case of slowly, slowly catch a monkey. That's for later. For now, concentration will be on ancillary operators whom Toyota feels it is able to support in a professional way. "We were naive with Peterbilt in thinking we could apply the same principles of operations as we did for the Hino Super Dolphin. We all, including our dealers, battled and we have learnt from that experience to take it step-by-step." Now isn't that nice! An honest approach which, by openly recognising specific strengths and weaknesses, enables a focussed approach to be directed at a specific target audience where promises made can be kept. No doubt about it - Thomas Huxley was right on that bit about benefits arising from early failures.

From dinky toys to the big guns - they're all in the Toyota family. Lots of storage space in the cabs for the driver's papers and other goodies. The tilt cab speeds up maintenance. Safety locking mechanisms ensure no accidental tilts. The vertical exhaust stack on the 6x4 ensures no dust blow-up into the engine while idling.

Operating on these principles, Toyota has kept both models below the 400HP mark with the 6x4, as mentioned, fitted with a 370HP engine and the 6x4 model with the 350HP Hino K13C powerhouse The 4x2 Hino Profia has a 19 ton GVM. Enter Peterbilt again. "We never had a 4x2 Peterbilt and found that was a market requirement. We now have one," says Maree. Yebo Huxley again!

Before leaving the question of the 'long haul' sector, I think a bit of clarification is needed here so as not to put off certain operators. There is no doubt that some operators will use the new Hino Profias on long haul routes. The 4x2 model, for example, is seen by Toyota to be ideally suited to, for example, car and furniture carriers - and they certainly run long hauls.

It is thus FleetWatch feels that using the term 'long haul' as a demarcation point is a bit confusing. More accurate, we feel, would be a reference to a 400HP 6x4 trailing an interlink as being the door through which you enter the culture of the big time long haul sector. That's the arena in which the heavy boys hauling general cargo, steel, granite blocks and other such commodities operate.

So for those operators who will be running inter-city with the Hino Profia and who might feel Toyota's statement of not focussing on long haul will adversely affect your back-up services, don't sweat. Eighteen specialist Hino Profia dealers have been specially appointed from the 59 dealers in Toyota SA Trucks network.

General sales manager Hennie de Villiers also points out that all major routes - the N1, N3 and N4 - have been covered by dealers with a focused extra heavy truck ability. The remaining 41 Toyota SA Truck dealers who sell and service Toyota Dyna and Hino trucks up to 16 ton GVM will offer additional emergency service support to Hino Profia dealers. And to ensure that the service capability will be top class, a training investment of more than R800 000 has been made in terms of man-hours, training modules and special tools to bring the 18 Hino Profia dealers up to speed.

Let's now take a quick look at why we feel the products are right for the market. On this point, Toyota SA Trucks has invented a new world order for South Africa - the Second World. "The Hino Profia fits ideally into the middle of the requirements of the First and Third World markets," says 'IJ" Greef, general manager, product planning and support. He is referring to the fact that the trucks have been ideally specced to meet local conditions.

"We are talking about appropriate technology where they have just enough computers on board to achieve maximum efficiencies while at the same time, are kept simple enough to effect mechanical repairs," he says.

The K13C engines do meet Euro 3 emission standards which, as FleetWatch has stated in previous issues, is a feature we feel should be marketed as an important issue given the environmental ramifications of emissions.

Interesting on this point of 'green engines' is that during a separate press conference, Hisanobu Fujita, senior general manager of Hino Motors Ltd - out from Japan for the customer and dealer launch - said the K13C engine fitted to the Hino Profia not only meets Japanese emission standards but also both American and European standards. It is thus a 'squeaky clean green' engine for the world. Pity the benefits will not be fully realised in South Africa due to our high sulphur content diesel.

Let's go on a bit with this 'Second World' appropriate technology approach. While many diesel engines today are specified with electronic fuel injection, Toyota has gone the route of a mechanical fuel injection system - once again bearing in mind South African conditions. "We have a problem going the electronic route because of the quality of our fuel and also the cost. The mechanical system is the right one for South Africa," says Greef.

The engines are, however, fitted with electronic variable speed control governors which Greef reckons is ideally suited to operations requiring hydraulic power delivered at consistent speeds. This would be for truck mounted cranes and any pumping equipment driven by a gearbox power-take-off. On the load carrying capabilities, the Hino Profia also comes suited to local conditions. South African legal maximum axle capacities are based on 9 tons for a single axle and 18 tons for a tandem axle where both are fitted with dual tyre sets. Hino Profia axles are designed to a manufacturers' rating of 13 tons for single drive axle and 22 tons for tandem drive axle. This exceeds the legal requirements by 44% and 22% respectively.

Full on views of the two Hino Profia contenders - the ammunition Toyota has been waiting for to fight the good fight in the heavy vehicle segment of the market.

Once again, the idea here has been to design to suit local conditions. Excess axle and GVM capacity allows Hino Profia to operate equally well in off-road conditions as on freeways. Dare we mention that it also allows for a rampant overload without collapsing 'plat' on the road?

Toyota has also taken into account tolerance to operational abuse. The Super Dolphin predecessors proved legendary in terms of drive axle durability and were fitted with a 17-inch drive axle crown wheel. Hino Profia has an 18-inch crown wheel and a tough, off-road steel suspension with maximum articulation for adhesion on poor surfaces completes the abuse-resistant rear drive axle package.

Durability that adds up to reliability is also reflected in the Hino Profia chassis design that incorporates an additional 4,5 mm thick reinforcement rail - or flitch plate. Outside chassis thickness is 7mm and 8mm respectively on the 19 ton and 28,5 ton GVM models.

The addition of the flitch plate provides Hino Profia with a chassis of up to 12,5 mm thickness and outstanding durability compounded by a steel tensile strength of 540 N/mm2. The increased tare mass of a double rail chassis is easily offset by off-road capability and low cost of ownership.

From a driver comfort point of view, the Profia cab is mounted on full floating air-suspension which makes it ideal for driver productivity and cab life. Plenty of storage space for the driver is also provided and ease of operation is reflected in the car-like gear shift lever which comes easy to hand from the comfortable seat. The Profia is fitted with a ZF 16-speed synchromesh transmission.

There are also a number of aftermarket options that can be fitted to suit specific customer requirements. These include: cab air-conditioner, a double sleeper cab conversion, ABS anti-lock braking system, an integral ZF gearbox hydraulic retarder; and long range fuel tanks.

All this gives an understanding of why we stated that, as a result of the strike, Toyota found itself in the position of being all dressed up with nowhere to go. It has spent a lot of time in the dressing room ensuring that the outfit it wears suits many occasions. Now that the strike is over, we predict the dressing up is going to enable the new Hino Profia to go to many transport balls.

Note: Full specs are available from Toyota SA Trucks.