At the recent 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, Fuso truck and bus unveiled their latest long-distance coach for the global market.
In a move aimed to become the leading manufacturer in the Japanese market again, along with its first fuel cell concept truck – the ‘Vision F-CELL’ – on display at the show is the Good Design Award-winning new Aero Queen luxury coach and latest, safety-laden Rosa minibus.
The 2019 series production model Aero Queen features the BusConnect connectivity solution while its sister series Rosa light-duty tourist bus has new safety features, the company states.
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) – under the umbrella of Daimler Trucks Asia (DTA) – showcased the Aero Queen large coach, Japan’s first heavy-duty touring bus installed with Active Side Guard Assist, which is a safety feature monitoring the driver’s left side blind spot.
The Aero Queen also includes other safety features like EDSS, which allows passengers to press a button and bring the vehicle to a safe stop in case the driver loses consciousness, and Active Brake Assist 4 (ABA®4), which is an automatic braking system with slow-speed pedestrian detection function.
In addition, Fuso’s connectivity solution BusConnect® provides fleet managers with real-time information (bus location/trajectory, safe driving, fuel consumption, etc.) of buses in operation, the company states. The system is equipped with a 24-hour monitoring function, such as an emergency response system, when the driver is in trouble and Active Brake Assist 4 (secondary braking) is activated.
Aesthetically, the body design – said to follow the new Fuso Black Belt design identity – won the Good Design Award 2019, recently in Japan.
According to Fuso, in a “conscious move to modernise Japanese driving habits and increase safety and efficiency”, all these new trucks and touring buses (inc. Aero Ace) are equipped with the new automatic mechanical transmission (AMT) as standard, a first time in Japan.
