- First public display of Hino dual fuel prototype.
- Engine uses hydrogen gas and diesel fuel.
- Shown at SA Auto Week 2026 conference.
- Durban Conference Centre, 13 to 16 November.
- Nearly 100 000 Hinos assembled in Durban.
A dual fuel prototype truck from Hino was shown to the public for the first time at the naamsa I The Automotive Business Council’s SA Auto Week 2026 conference. The event was held at the Durban Conference Centre from 13 to 16 November.
Hino dual fuel truck uses hydrogen and diesel
What sets the prototype apart is its engine, which runs on both hydrogen gas and diesel fuel. According to Hino, the truck is unique in South Africa in using this combination.
Anton Falck, Vice President of Hino South Africa, said the company was delighted that the first public display of the prototype took place at the conference. No further technical details of the truck were given.
SA Auto Week conference theme
This year the gathering ran under the theme ‘Transforming Tomorrow Today: Resetting Policy, Advancing the Energy Transition, Driving Investment & Inclusive Growth’. Falck described the theme as very apt for a truck that combines hydrogen and diesel in a single engine.
The conference is organised by naamsa I The Automotive Business Council, the body that represents vehicle manufacturers in the country, and brings together industry, policy and investment discussions over several days.
Durban as the home of Hino in South Africa
For the truck maker, the choice of city carried added meaning. “Participating in an event in Durban was very special for us as this is the birthplace of Hino in South Africa,” Falck said.
Hino trucks were first imported into South Africa in 1972. Two years later, the trucks were being assembled at a plant outside Durban from CKD kits imported from Japan.
That local assembly has continued since, and the number of Hino trucks assembled in Durban is now approaching 100 000, a milestone the brand linked to its return to the city with the hydrogen and diesel prototype.
Supplied by MotorPress (Gert Agenbag, Marketing Manager, Hino South Africa)
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