Hino 600 Series Hybrid truck
Hino has returned to the top ten, finishing the 2023 Dakar Rally in tenth place in its bonneted Hino 600 Series Hybrid truck.
The 45th edition of the Dakar took place from 31st December 2022 to 15th January 2023 and was the most gruelling one since the rally came to Saudi Arabia four years ago.
Starting on a Sea Camp on the shores of the Red Sea and ending on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula, the 2023 Dakar Rally consisted of 14 stages and a prologue raced over almost 5,000 kilometres.
This was the 32nd consecutive Dakar Rally finish for Hino since 1991 when it become the first Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturer to enter the rally.
“The course was amazing and I think this has been the most difficult year for us so far,” said Teruhito Sugawara, driver and Team Director of Hino Team Sugawara.
Sugawara was again joined on-board by Hirokazu Somemiya and Yuji Mochizuki with support members of Hino Team Sugawara providing assistance during the rally.
Hino Australia Vice President of Brand & Franchise Development Richard Emery praised the team’s excellent results:
“Hino Australia has been a proud sponsor of Hino Team Sugawara for the past decade, and we congratulate them on returning to the top ten,” said Mr Emery.
“In difficult weather conditions over tough terrain, Hino Team Sugawara again demonstrated the reliability that Hino is renowned for.”
Featuring full-time 4WD, the Hino Dakar Rally truck is powered by an 8,866 litre direct injection, turbocharged and intercooled A09C engine, which is matched to a six-speed automatic transmission.
A production version of the A09C engine is available in the Hino 700 Series and 500 Series Wide Cab trucks in Australia.