NAIROBI, Kenya
Competition in the heavy commercial trucks market has heightened following the launch of the new line of Fuso FJ Tipper trucks in Kenya. The FJ Tipper truck targets the construction and mining industries.
Speaking during the official launch of the truck in Nairobi, Simba Colt Motors Executive Director Mr Dinesh Kotecha said the Fuso Trucks are designed to address the growth potential shifting to developing markets in African countries that experiencing a boom in construction, development and exploration.
“Kenya and the East Africa region is experiencing tremendous growth especially in construction and mining and players in this sector need reliable trucks that are globally benchmarked for greater fuel efficiency, lower maintenance, longer life, and greater reliability,” says Mr Kotecha.
Kenya is the first export market that Fuso has launched its new line of Fuso trucks following the start of production in May this year at the new Fuso Plant in Chennai, India. Prior to its launch, the FJ Tipper was put through vigorous testing locally in different towns across Kenya to ensure that it meets the local conditions it will operate in.
“Over the past four months the truck was taken through various tough conditions in different parts of Kenya from Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisii, and Kisumu covering over 14,000km in test drive, and it passed with flying colors outperforming the competition in all tasks,” says Mr Kotecha.
Sales of heavy commercial vehicles still account for 26.8% of the market share and it is believed that construction projects in the region will fuel uptake in the heavier segments in coming days. With strong government impetus to boost the nation’s industrial sector, demand for heavy commercial vehicles is expected to increase correspondingly.
With the encouraging market sentiments and the increased demand for heavy duty commercial vehicles in the country, Simba Colt believes that the first-of-its-kind FJ Tipper will appeal to Kenyan customers and mirror the success of past FUSO trucks. Simba Colt Motors targets to sell 2,000 units of the various FUSO models this year with the FJ Tipper making a significant contribution.
