• Manufacturing commenced in Tramagal, Portugal, in 1980 with the production of 1,500 trucks

• Canters from Tramagal are on the road in more than 30 countries throughout Europe

• Beginning in spring 2010, Canter engines will surpass the requirements of Euro 5 and meet EEV, Europe’s most stringent emissions standard

30 years ago, the first Fuso Canter rolled off the production line in Tramagal.

Located 150 kilometres northeast of Lisbon, the plant in Tramagal was opened in 1964 by a Portuguese-French joint venture for the production of vehicles for the Portuguese army.

In 1990, the Portuguese importing firm Mitsubishi Motors Portugal (MMP) acquired the plant, and in 1996 Mitsubishi Motors Corporation decided to concentrate the production of the Canter truck for Europe in Tramagal. Since 2003, the Fuso Canter is part of the Daimler Trucks product portfolio.

In 2004 the production facilities in Tramagal were renamed Mitsubishi Fuso Truck Europa, S.A. From here the Fuso Canter is delivered every day to over 30 countries in Europe.

First produced in 1963 in Japan and since 1980 in Europe, the Fuso Canter is now in its seventh generation. It is the best-selling Fuso truck to date.

“We’re proud that the Fuso Canter has been successful in Europe for the past 30 years,” says Alexander Müller, Head of Sales and Marketing Fuso Europe.

“When we began manufacturing the Fuso Canter in 1980, a total of 1,500 trucks were built in Tramagal. In 2007 this figure had risen to far more than 10,000 trucks.”

The Fuso Canter supplements Daimler Trucks’ product range in the light truck segment in Europe.

Later this tear, the Fuso Canter will be available with engines that meet the stringent Enhanced Environmentally-friendly Vehicle (EEV) emissions standard. The voluntary EEV standard guarantees a further reduction of particle emissions by around one third in comparison to the already-stringent Euro 5 limits. The Fuso Canter will thus be all set to meet tighter environmental regulations.

“We are doing this in order to further expand the Fuso Canter’s presence in the market, and we will offer the Euro 5-compliant engine upgraded to EEV as standard and in all variants,” adds Müller.

Based in Kawasaki, Japan, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) is one of Asia’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers. Daimler owns 85 percent of MFTBC.