General Automotive Company, the official distributors of FUSO Trucks in Oman, at a recent press conference announced the launch of two new FUSO trucks – the Mitsubishi FUSO FA/FI and Mitsubishi FUSO FJ. Featuring state-of-the-art engineering together with the reliability and flexibility that FUSO is renowned for, both these new models perfectly complement the existing range of FUSO trucks sold in Oman.
“Over the past four decades Mitsubishi FUSO, in partnership with GAC, has positioned itself as a key player in the Oman commercial vehicle arena. With an extensive range of commercial vehicles ranging from lightweight commercial vehicles, to medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses, Mitsubishi FUSO has a vehicle to suit most commercial requirements. It is a name that has become synonymous with performance, affordability, quality and durability,” said Mark Tomlinson, the Group General Manager of the Zubair Automotive Group, commenting on the launch of the two new trucks. “These all-new FUSO trucks have already gained a great reputation in other markets where they have been released, thanks to their robustness and fuel efficiency. I am convinced that they will be just as successful here and help us further enhance our market-share in the Sultanate.”
Mitsubishi FUSO FA/FI is the first of two new-generation trucks to join the FUSO fleet in Oman. As with all FUSO vehicles, the new medium-to heavy duty truck offers outstanding comfort, operational easy and excellent economy but comes with a host of new features exclusive to the new model. All Variants are available with a common rail, direct injection engines that deliver ample power, with improved fuel efficiency and lower overall operational costs. They also come paired with a new smooth-shifting 6-speed overdrive transmission that reduces driver fatigue. The chassis has also been reinforced with extra heavy duty suspensions and real axel so support heavier loads; contributing to a substantial chassis payload ranging from 9.6 to 13 tons.
The Mitsubishi FUSO FJ is second of the two new-generation trucks to join the FUSO fleet in Oman. Designed for heavy-duty operations, the FUSO FJ features a powerful yet efficient 6.4l Turbo Diesel engine mated to a smooth shifting 9-Speed transmission for optimal driver comfort and operational efficiency. The new FUSO FJ, with a chassis payload capacity of 25 tons, also features chassis frame members that are not only deeper and thicker than the previous model but are also shot peened and powder coated for greater strength and resistance to corrosion; leading to greater long-term reliability and operational costs.
Both these trucks are produced at the state-of-the-art Daimler Indian Commercial Vehicles (DICV) plant in Chennai, India and exported from there to the Middle East. DICV is a 100% subsidiary of Daimler AG, Stuttgart, Germany, and together with Mitsubishi FUSO Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTB) jointly operate in an organisation union under the umbrella Daimler Truck Asia (DTA). Both, DIVC and MFTBC, are an integral part of Daimler Trucks – the biggest global manufacture of trucks above six metric tons. In fact, Daimler Trucks develops and produce vehicles in a global network under the brands Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses, FUSO and BharatBenz.
DICV’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Oragadam, near Chennai houses its truck and bus plant. It is the only Daimler Truck plant worldwide to produce commercial vehicles, engines and parts for three brands – Mercedes Benz, BharatBenz and FUSO. It currently produces and sells a range of 9 to 49 ton trucks for the Indian market, as Bharat Benz, and FUSO trucks for export to markets in South East Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Each of the new range of FUSO trucks has been jointly developed by DICV and MFTBC with customised specification of each market. In doing so, MFTBC continues to work with DICV, as part of DTA, to enhance its traditional FUSO product line worldwide.
GAC Customers from Oman were recently presented with an exclusive opportunity to visit the DICV Manufacturing facility and get a first-hand look at the entire truck production process and experience the new trucks on a specialized test Track. They were also presented with an opportunity to meet with Erich Nesselhauf, the Managing Director and CEO Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, who gave an in-depth presentation about the plant, the company’s history and their relationship with MFTBC. This visit was followed up with a visit of the Oman media to the plant.
Globally, FUSO commercial vehicles have a long and storied history dating back over 80 years, with the brand firmly establishing itself as the vehicle of choice for commercial vehicle operators worldwide. Locally, the FUSO brand has been proudly represented in Oman by the GAC since 1973. Today 42 years down the road, the brand’s prominent presence in the country stands as a testament to the historic relationship the group has with the Japanese automobile giant.
“Today, in Japan, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and around the world, ‘Mitsubishi FUSO’ stands for superior products, outstanding service, economic value and a commitment to customers’ success. In Oman, FUSO has positioned itself as a key player in the commercial vehicle arena with an extensive range of commercial vehicles ranging from lightweight commercial vehicles, to medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses.  With a vehicle to suit most commercial requirements Mitsubishi FUSO has become a name synonymous with quality and durability,” said Mr. Muralidharan, Regional Head of Sales, Middle East and North Africa of MFTBC, who was also present at the launch at Muscat.
GAC has been a pioneer in the Omani automotive industry and in order to comprehensively support such a varied product range and its commercial customers, GAC has setup a strong service network setup right across the Sultanate for sales and after sales support. Manned by a constantly motivated and highly trained workforce coupled with dedicated sales and after-sales teams, these centres ensures that no matter where a customer is located, they are guaranteed immediate and professional service regardless of their individual requirements.
In fact, in addition to being presented with the coveted Historical Sales Award for recording the highest sales volumes in Oman in 2013, GAC has also received global service awards for offering a Tailored Driver Training Programme, Increasing Service Retention, and Parts Sales Marketing; all of which are services provided to new and existing FUSO customers in Oman. More recently, GAC also was also presented with a token of appreciation from the Ministry of Social Development for its excellent After Sales support.
In order to further facilitate the requirements of its customers, in December last year GAC launched a new website for the FUSO brand in Oman, http://www.FUSOoman.com/. The website has been designed for easy navigation and comprehensive information on FUSO’s entire product line making it even easier for customers in Oman to access and experience GAC commercial vehicle offerings from FUSO.
The new website has been designed in a similar style to the recently revamped Mitsubishi website, offering a similar user-friendly design and features. Most key links are designed to be directly available on the homepage without being cluttered – offering several useful tools for customers to use and take advantage of. Through these links customers can obtain comprehensive information on each FUSO model, browse for the latest promotions, schedule service appointments, arrange for appointments with showroom and customer service staff, request for quotes, and even gain access to a detailed and continually monitored customer feedback area. As a whole it delivers rapid information access and smooth navigation while adhering to both FUSO and GAC corporate guidelines.
Perfectly in line with Mitsubishi and FUSO’s customer-centric mentality, it is evident that building consumer confidence is at the heart of everything GAC does. As a result, the company is always at the forefront of developing new and innovative customer loyalty programs and attractive value added services. GAC strongly advocates on building strong business relationships and alliances with its growing portfolio of customers as the organisation, hand-in-hand with the Mitsubishi and FUSO brands, continue to go from strength to strength in Oman.