Hino Australia is positioning its five-year warranty as part of a broader aftersales package designed to give fleet buyers more certainty over vehicle ownership costs.
At the company’s recent business briefing, Hino Australia President and CEO Richard Emery said the warranty extension was one element of a wider focus on the customer lifecycle after delivery.
“We have a significant focus on the customer life cycle and what happens after the customer takes delivery,” Emery said.
That focus includes parts availability, telematics, capped-price servicing and warranty coverage, rather than relying only on the initial truck sale.
Warranty extended across the range
Hino has moved to five-year warranty coverage across its 300, 500 and 700 Series ranges. Emery said the 300 Series had already been covered by a five-year warranty, while the 700 Series extension was introduced from January.
“300 Series, we were already at five years warranty,” he said. “700 Series has now moved to five years as well. We quietly did this from January deliveries onwards. Anybody buying a 700 Series truck from us today will get a five-year warranty.”
He said the returning Euro 6 500 Series would also be launched with a five-year warranty when it arrives in dealerships.
“When we introduce Euro 6 500 Series early next year, it will also be launched with a five-year warranty as well,” Emery said.
For buyers, the value is not only in the warranty period itself. It is in having a clearer view of potential ownership risk over the early years of a truck’s working life.
After sales is becoming a fleet buying factor
Truck buyers have traditionally focused on acquisition price, payload, fuel use, reliability and dealer support. Those factors remain central, but the ownership package is becoming more important as fleets try to manage operating cost volatility.
A longer warranty can help reduce exposure to unexpected repair costs, particularly as trucks become more complex with emissions equipment, safety systems and connected technology.
However, Fleet Managers will still need to examine the detail behind the headline period. Warranty conditions, kilometre limits, exclusions, servicing requirements, body-builder interfaces and downtime support can all affect the real value of a package.
The same applies to capped-price servicing. It may provide cost certainty, but fleets need to understand which maintenance items are included, the duration of the plan and whether the service intervals match the operating task.
Packaging parts, telematics and servicing
Emery said Hino’s strategy is to combine several aftersales elements rather than treat warranty as a stand-alone offer.
“We were the first truck brand with capped-price servicing, and still continue to be the only offering it across the range.”
Hino has also invested in its parts distribution centre as part of the support model, with Emery referring to the business carrying more parts lines and aiming to provide faster availability.
“The next step, and one we quietly rolled out recently, is our expansion of a five-year warranty across all models,” he said. “With this in place, we are working on looking at our capped-price servicing offering and how we package that for customers to choose at the point of purchase.”
Retention starts after delivery
For Hino, the package is as much about retaining customers as it is about attracting them.
A fleet that has visibility over service costs, warranty coverage, parts access and vehicle data is more likely to assess its next replacement through the same supplier network. That does not guarantee loyalty, but it changes the purchase discussion from the price of the chassis to the total experience over the vehicle’s life.
For Fleet Managers, the practical question is whether the package reduces operational risk in their specific application.
A five-year warranty may be valuable for a predictable urban delivery truck with regular dealer servicing. It may have a different value for a high-utilisation regional vehicle, a specialised body application or a truck operating far from a service network.
Hino’s move shows how truck manufacturers are increasingly using aftersales support as a competitive tool. The vehicle sale may start the relationship, but cost certainty, uptime and support coverage are becoming the reasons fleets stay with a brand.
