- Mitsubishi Fuso has officially kicked off series production of the new eCanter truck at its subsidiary plant in Tramagal, Portugal
- 42 eCanter variants will be produced for European customers, alongside the diesel Canter
- The Tramagal Plant also celebrated a major milestone with the 250,000th FUSO truck rolling off the production line
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC; headquarters: Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President and CEO: Karl Deppen) announces the start of series production for the remodeled all-electric eCanter truck at the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck Europe-Sociedade Europeia de Automóveis, S.A (hereafter MFTE; headquarters: Tramagal, Portugal; President and CEO: Arne Barden) subsidiary plant in Portugal. A celebration of the major milestone took place on March 22nd, with the Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, in attendance.
The eCanter was first launched in 2017 as the first electric light-duty truck in small-series production from Daimler Truck. Since then, over 550 units of the pioneering vehicle have been handed over to customers around the globe. The truck has been operating in Europe, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, collectively covering over 8 million km of locally emissions-free urban transportation.
In September 2022, MFTBC unveiled the fully remodeled eCanter, which features an innovatively redesigned, more compact drivetrain configuration. The adoption of this new drivetrain has allowed MFTBC to offer greater variety in chassis, body types, and driving range. A total of 42 variants will be made available for European customers, and over 100 worldwide. Combined with an ecosystem of consulting services including cost analyses and charging infrastructure support, the flexibility of the product means that it is now easier than ever for customers to transition to e-mobility.
This major milestone follows the start of production of the eCanter for the Japanese market at the Kawasaki Plant, which took place in March 2023. Both the Tramagal Plant and the Kawasaki Plant underwent various adjustments to accommodate the wider variety of eCanter specifications into their existing light-duty production processes. All eCanter trucks bound for customers in Europe will be delivered out of the Tramagal site, while vehicles for markets slated for future launches, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Chile, will be exported out of Japan.
On May 22, 2023, MFTE also celebrated another major achievement, as the 250,000th unit of the light-duty Canter truck rolled off the line. The Tramagal Plant is a historic production site that has contributed to Portuguese industry since 1964. Five generations of the Canter have been produced onsite since the start of operations, supporting the European sales of Mitsubishi Fuso’s iconic truck over the decades.
As an integral part of Daimler Truck, Mitsubishi Fuso is committed to the ambition of tank-to-wheel CO2 neutrality for all new commercial vehicle sales in Europe and Japan by 2039. As the governments of key markets take on environmental goals targeting on-road emissions, FUSO eCanter will continue to play a vital role in the global trucking industry’s path to sustainable mobility.