The popular FUSO Canter has won a high-profile industry award for an unprecedented fifth year in succession.
The rugged all-rounder once again carried off the Light Truck of the Year title at the 2018 VansA2Z Van Fleet World Honours.
The trophy was presented during a ceremony at Twickenham, the home of English Rugby, to Lloyd Bonson, Product Manager – FUSO for Mercedes-Benz Trucks, whose Dealer Network is also responsible for sales and support of the Canter range in Great Britain.
This year’s competition was the first in which online portal VansA2Z has teamed up with print magazine Van Fleet World. The expert judges were won over by the Canter’s driveability, strength and durability, as well as FUSO’s ongoing commitment to the development of new technologies designed to reduce emissions and cut costs.
VansA2Z Editor Neil McIntee commented: “Light trucks are used by businesses like landscape gardeners and builders that require a sturdy, uncomplaining, no-nonsense workhorse. They may not cover high mileages, but they are frequently abused.
“Available with a semi-automatic twin-clutch gearbox and stop/start system, a first in this sector, not to mention an all-electric drivetrain on higher GVW models, the winner of the Best Light Truck Award for 2018 is the FUSO Canter.”
The FUSO Canter has gained significant ground in recent years. Despite the backdrop of a challenging market that saw its principal competitors’ sales tumble, Canter registrations increased by another 1.6% in 2017.
“It is hugely gratifying to have won this prestigious award for no fewer than five years running,” declared Lloyd Bonson. “This remarkable achievement confirms once again, that the FUSO Canter is without equal in its class. No other light truck range comes close in terms of toughness and reliability, comfort and cost-efficiency, customer choice and all-round fitness for purpose.”
The Canter family comprises 4×2 and 4×4 variants with gross weights from 3.5-8.55 tonnes, Comfort day cabs and Double crew cabs, and engine outputs from 96kW (130 hp) to 129 kW (175 hp). The range includes a well-established diesel-electric Eco Hybrid model, while the UK’s first examples of the ground-breaking FUSO eCanter, the world’s first fully-electric truck, were handed over to Wincanton, DPD and Hovis earlier this month, for operation in London.
Its light yet strong ladder chassis contributes to the Canter’s low unladen weight – 7.5-tonne variants in particular, offer market-leading payloads. The vehicle’s compact dimensions and excellent manoeuvrability, meanwhile, make it ideally suited to operation in urban areas, and applications in which access is an issue.
Customers can also now choose 3.5- and 7.5-tonne chassis pre-fitted at at FUSO’s main European production facility in Tramagal, Portugal, with dropside and tipping bodies by the highly regarded Italian manufacturer Scattolini. This new programme offers significant savings in time and administration.
