Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) has launched its newly updated Canter light-duty truck in Japan. The new Canter will be available through MFTBC dealers and regional sales centers nationwide in Japan starting in February.

Interior Redesign

The interior of the new Canter has been redesigned for the first time in 14 years, with what the company describes as elegant colors and sophisticated styling that combines design and functionality. The new interior features a streamlined style from the dashboard to the exit grips for improved ease of entry and exit. The new model also features a 10-inch full LCD panel with excellent visibility, easy-to-use steering wheel switches, and an optional center display that allows easy operation of both navigation and radio via touch panel, further enhancing driving comfort.

Advanced Safety Features

The Canter has also been significantly enhanced with a wide range of advanced safety features. It comes equipped with Active Sideguard Assist 1.0, which MFTBC said reduces the risk of accidents during turns by monitoring the blind spot on the side of the truck and can further activate a collision mitigation brake system if needed.

It is also equipped with Active Brake Assist 5 (ABA5), an emergency braking system with improved spatial recognition and pedestrian detection.

The driver attention monitoring system, Active Attention Assist, warns the driver of impaired driving attention is an optional feature and Traffic Sign Recognition has been installed as a standard feature, providing high-performance safety in response to various potential driving hazards.

Additionally, a rearview camera has been affixed to the back of the vehicle to reduce the risk of accidents when reversing, complying with the new Japanese regulations that take effect in May 2024.

LED Lights and Headlights

The new Canter is also equipped with LED headlights with daytime running lights as a new standard feature. These lights are always on, even during daytime driving, and support safe driving by increasing the vehicle’s visibility. Another newly equipped standard feature, The Intelligent Headlight Control, detects traffic conditions and ambient brightness ahead and automatically switches to high or low beam.

The newly designed LED rear combination lights, which are already available with Fuso’s heavy-duty truck Super Great and the electric light-duty truck eCanter are newly installed as an optional feature.

Fuso Canter Specifications

Key Features of New Fuso Canter

The new Canter’s key features, according to the company, include:

• Full LCD panel — This full 10-inch LCD panel with excellent visibility and intuitive functionality allows the driver to check driving conditions at a glance. Its built-in display provides vehicle information and various function settings and can be linked to the steering wheel switches to display menu screens and make system changes.

• Center display unit — A center display that allows easy operation of navigation and radio via touch panel is available as an option.

• Steering wheel switches for easy operation — Vehicle information and function settings can be adjusted with the touch of a finger using the steering wheel switches. Volume adjustments and phone calls can easily be made without taking your hands off the steering wheel.

• Active Sideguard Assist 1.0 — Active Sideguard Assist 1.0 is a safety system that integrates a radar to monitor the blind spot on the side of the vehicle. It also emits an alarm and issues warnings with an indicator lamp when the turn signal is activated or the steering wheel is turned toward the blind spot. When the system determines there is an unavoidable risk of collision with objects or pedestrians moving in parallel to the vehicle, it activates the damage mitigation braking system to bring the vehicle to an emergency stop. (The vehicle must be driving at speeds under 20km/h for Active Sideguard Assist 1.0 to operate as described.)

• Active Brake Assist5 — ABA5 is an emergency braking system that detects risks of head-on collisions and mitigates damage with warnings and braking. The conventional collision damage mitigation brake system Advanced Emergency Braking System has been improved to achieve more accurate detection. ABA5 features a forward-recognition camera and radar to detect traffic conditions with high accuracy, making it possible to reduce the possibility and damage of collisions with pedestrians and vehicles driving in front on highway roads.

• Active Attention Assist — In addition to information from the camera mounted on the windshield, a face recognition camera that detects the driver’s left and right side glances and eyelid movements has been installed. When the system detects indications of reduced attention, it alerts the driver. This is a newly available optional feature for Japanese models, excluding double cab vehicles and low floor 4WD models.

• Traffic Sign Recognition — The TSR system is specifically designed for traffic signs in Japan. The camera recognizes incoming traffic signs using image recognition technology and displays the relevant traffic sign on the instrument display panel. The TSR recognizes signs: “Limited Speed,” “No Overtaking,” and “Stop”.

• Rear-view Camera — The new Canter comes standard with a wide-angle rear-view camera. A monitor located in the position of the overhead mirror allows the driver to check behind the vehicle.

• LED headlamps with daytime running lights — The LED headlights are newly equipped with daytime running lights (DRL) as standard equipment to enhance visibility when driving during the daytime and to support safe driving. The daytime running lights turn on when the key is turned on and turn off when the position lamps or fog lamps** are turned on.

• Intelligent Headlight Control — The Intelligent Headlight Control (IHC) system automatically switches the headlight settings to high beam in the dark and to low beam in bright environments, based on detection through a windshield-mounted camera.

• LED rear combination lamp — Lamps with an integrated and upgraded design are featured as standard, providing better visibility for other drivers on the road.

The Fuso Brand

Fuso is a Daimler Truck brand offering a range of commercial vehicles from light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks and buses, to industrial engines and connectivity solutions for over 170 markets worldwide. A longstanding landmark in Japan’s commercial vehicle landscape, the brand has leveraged Japanese quality and craftsmanship to set benchmarks in efficiency, safety, and comfort for 90 years