Amalgamation with Toyota
Hino was in financial difficulties in the 1960s. In October 1966, following some pressure for industry consolidation from the Japanese government, Hino and Toyota signed a partnership agreement (through the Mitsui Bank)[9] by which the former became an affiliate of the latter and focused itself on truck and bus production alongside vehicle assembly under contract.[10][11][12] In April 1967, Hino began assembling light vehicles for Toyota, after an influx of employees from the latter to the former. The Hino Briska pickup was rebadged as the Toyota Briska and, in March 1968, the model was used to develop the Toyota HiLux which had more stock parts from Toyota. Hino also assembled the Publica van and sedan.[11] Both companies started to collaborate in purchasing as well as research and development. Hino officially stopped assembling passenger cars in 1969,[9] although continued assembling light vehicles for Toyota (as the Publica van and the HiAce).[11] Up until the 1990s, Hino assembled the HiLux.[4]
In the 1960s, Hino launched new medium and heavy duty trucks (TC300, KF). In March 1964, the company launched the medium duty KM series truck, later named the Ranger.[4]
In the 1970s, Hino introduced the so-called "red" diesel engines with a focus on fuel efficiency and incorporating MAN technology. The company began to increase exports as it had an efficiency advantage compared to most foreign rivals at the time. By the end of the 1970s, export sales surpassed domestic ones. In 1977, Hino launched its first long range coach. In 1981, the company introduced the Profia, the first truck of a new series with improved aerodynamics, engines and cabin.[4]
In the late 1970s, Hino started to form partnerships with other manufacturers besides Toyota. In 1978, it established a technical assistance agreement with Asia Motors.[13] That same year, it established a partnership with the Chinese car manufacturer FAW by providing technical assistance on medium trucks to it, mostly for improving FAW's outdated Jiefanghao range (based on the 1940s ZIS-150).[14] In 1986, it started to license its engines to Ashok Leyland.[15]
Starting in the 1990s, Hino returned to financial difficulties. The company introduced new heavy vehicles (trucks and coaches) and expanded its Asian business to try improving its profitability. Toyota also helped its affiliate by giving it assembly contracts (Toyota Tercel/Corsa, Toyota T100).[4] In March 1997, Toyota increased its Hino stake (at the time 11.4%) to 16.4% and to 20.1% by the end of the year.[16] Toyota also moved all its production and development activities for light trucks to Hino.[4]
In June 1998, Toyota said it planned to take control of Hino.[17] By March 2001, it had acquired a 36.6% Hino stake.[18] Later that year, Hino became a subsidiary of Toyota after the latter increased its ownership to a 50.1% majority stake.[19]
In 2002, Hino and Isuzu merged their bus/coach production and development facilities in Japan into a joint venture called J-Bus.[20] In March of that year, Hino and Scania AB signed a partnership deal by which the former was to take charge of the Japanese sales of the latter. The deal also included the possibility of further technical and commercial collaboration.[21] In December 2006, Scania started to sell Hino trucks in South Korea.[22] In June 2011, Scania left the deal after it opened its own Japanese sales operation.[23]
In 2012, Hino started to move medium and heavy truck production in Japan from its obsolete, cramped Hino plant to a new one in Koga, Ibaraki, which initially produced complete knock-down kits for export.[24][25] The move was completed in September 2017,[26][27] as part of a consolidation of the Japanese operations into three main plants: Koga would produce medium and heavy trucks; Nitta (Ota, Gunma), which had already been manufacturing engines for light and medium vehicles and opened a new plant for large ones completed in December 2016 to replace the Hino plant, engines and transmissions;[26][25] Hamura, lighter trucks and contract assembly for Toyota.[26]
In 2018, Hino and Volkswagen Truck & Bus (later renamed Traton) announced a wide-ranging strategic partnership for activities including procurement, technologies and logistics. In November 2019, they established a procurement joint venture called Hino and Traton Global Procurement, with 51% of it owned by Traton and 49% by Hino.[28] By 2023, the partnership was terminated.[12]
In March 2021, Hino, its parent Toyota, and Isuzu announced the creation of a strategic partnership between the three companies. Toyota acquired a 4.6% stake in Isuzu while the latter plans to acquire Toyota shares for an equivalent value. The three companies said they would form a new joint venture by April called Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation with the aim of developing fuel cell and electric light trucks. Toyota would own an 80% stake in the venture while Hino and Isuzu would own 10% each.[29] In August 2022, after Toyota published the findings of a self-commissioned investigation highlighting that Hino Motors falsified emissions data on some engines going back to at least October 2003,[30][31][32] Toyota and Isuzu "expelled" Hino from their partnership. The Hino stake would be given to Toyota.[33]
In May 2023, Hino and its parent Toyota signed a memorandum of understanding with Mitsubishi Fuso and its parent Daimler Truck for a plan of merging Hino and Mitsubishi Fuso into a publicly traded holding company with equal investment from both Toyota and Daimler Truck.[34]
In June 2025, a definitive agreement was reached with an as yet unnamed holding company to list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange with Daimler Truck and Toyota each to own 25% of the holding company.[35][36][37] In October 2025, the new name for the holding company was announced as Archion.
