Japanese truck manufacturer Hino South Africa says its sales continue to show resilience despite mounting pressure facing the global automotive industry, which is currently grappling with tariffs, changing regulations, rising energy costs and growing uncertainty around the future of mobility.
Speaking during a media briefing last week at the 2026 NAMPO Harvest Day 2026 agricultural exhibition in Bothaville, Free State, Hino South Africa vice-president Anton Falck described the global automotive sector as being in “greater turmoil now than ever in its 150-year history”.
Falck said Japanese truck manufacturers, including Hino, appeared to be weathering the storm better than some European rivals.
“Countries such as South Africa integrate into global supply chains, so they also feel the effects of global unrest,” he said.
Fully built-up imported vehicles
He added that South Africa’s vehicle manufacturing sector was facing increasing pressure from a growing number of fully built-up imported vehicles entering local ports, creating fresh challenges for local manufacturers and component suppliers.
The comments come at a time when South Africa’s truck industry remains highly competitive.
According to April 2026 industry sales figures, FAW Trucks South Africa remained the country’s top-selling truck brand, followed by Hino South Africa, Daimler Truck Southern Africa, Isuzu Trucks South Africa, and Scania South Africa.
Despite the difficult operating environment, Hino South Africa said it remained on track to exceed 3 000 truck sales for the year after recording 930 units sold during the first four months of 2026.
The company sold 3 178 trucks in 2025, giving it a 10.2% share of the South African truck market. That was slightly lower than the 3 343 units sold in 2024.
Customer service performance
Falck also highlighted Hino’s strong customer service performance, with the company once again ranking first in the Datatrack customer care survey for sales, service and parts support.
According to Hino, this marked the 12th consecutive quarter since quarter one of 2023 that the company topped the respected industry survey, which gathers feedback from around 30 000 local truck operators.
The company also provided an update on its after-sales operations following a recent restructuring of its parts supply chain.
Hino South Africa earlier this year shifted its parts sourcing directly from Japan instead of routing supply through Europe.
While the transition initially caused supply disruptions affecting service filters and some dealership operations, the company said supply stability had now largely recovered.
Falck said Hino had restored its allocation fill rate to approximately 95% through interventions that included new supplier partnerships, improved logistics and increased stockholding.
The company also reiterated its push for alternative energy solutions.
Fuel savings
Hino South Africa recently introduced diesel-electric hybrid trucks to its 300 Series range, with the first units already operating through logistics company Namlog at the Toyota Africa Parts Centre in Ekurhuleni.
The hybrid trucks are being introduced under Toyota’s international Kinto subscription programme, which bundles vehicle usage, maintenance and servicing into a single monthly payment.
According to Hino, the hybrid trucks have delivered fuel savings of between 15% and 30%, depending on operating conditions, while also helping fleet operators reduce carbon emissions.
The company also confirmed that a prototype dual-fuel truck powered by diesel and hydrogen technology will be previewed in South Africa next month as part of its broader multi-pathway energy strategy.
- Hino South Africa reports resilient truck sales amid global automotive challenges including tariffs, regulations, and rising energy costs.
- The company maintains strong market performance with over 930 trucks sold in early 2026 and aims to exceed 3,000 units for the year, holding a 10.2% market share.
- Hino ranks first in customer service for 12 consecutive quarters in the Datatrack survey and has stabilized parts supply after shifting sourcing directly from Japan.
- The rise of fully built-up imported vehicles poses increasing pressure on South Africa’s local vehicle manufacturing and component supply.
- Hino is advancing alternative energy vehicles, introducing diesel-electric hybrid trucks with significant fuel savings and previewing a dual-fuel diesel-hydrogen prototype in South Africa.
Japanese truck manufacturer Hino
Falck said Japanese truck manufacturers, including Hino, appeared to be weathering the storm better than some European rivals.
“Countries such as
He added that
Despite the difficult operating environment, Hino
Falck also highlighted Hino’s strong customer service performance, with the company once again ranking first in the Datatrack customer care survey for sales, service and parts support.
Hino
While the transition initially caused supply disruptions affecting service filters and some dealership operations, the company said supply stability had now largely recovered.
Falck said Hino had restored its allocation fill rate to approximately 95% through interventions that included new supplier partnerships, improved logistics and increased stockholding.
Hino
