A new entity, FUSO New Zealand Ltd (FUSO NZ), has been established and will be responsible for the import and wholesale businesses for the Fuso brand in New Zealand. The new company is fully owned by Keith Andrews Trucks.
Those businesses for FUSO are currently managed by Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand (MMNZ), but FUSO NZ will take over the operation by January 2017.
FUSO customers should not experience any disruption during the transition period, as it will have no impact on the FUSO dealers and the network of 26 customer services and parts sales outlets across New Zealand.
Michael Kamper, senior vice president and head of marketing, sales and customer services Trucks Asia, said: “We look forward to working together with FUSO NZ, which will be a dedicated general distributor for the Fuso commercial vehicles brand. FUSO NZ is fully owned by Keith Andrews Trucks, which is a highly successful and longstanding FUSO dealer, having the right competence to propel the Fuso brand in New Zealand.”
FUSO has been in the New Zealand market for more than 40 years. Having sold more than 700 vehicles in 2015, there are around 22,000 trucks currently in operation in the country.
Kurtis Andrews, managing director for FUSO NZ, said he was excited about the development.
“There is significant work to be done to re-establish FUSO as the number one truck brand in New Zealand. Over the next five months we will be working with MMNZ to ensure a smooth transition for our customers. From 2017, we will be looking to establish a range of initiatives that will include the expansion of the network and the range of products, which we believe will give FUSO a significant boost in its market share in the coming years.”
Keith Andrews Trucks is New Zealand‘s largest FUSO dealer, providing sales parts and services across the upper North Island. The company has been in operation for 25 years and its four branches service the Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions. The company employs more than 100 staff and a new full-service dealership will be added in 2017.
