2017 Foton View Transvan 15 CS2 2.8L Turbo Diesel Seater COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
Chinese brand launches its rival Toyota Hiace and plans more models next year.
Foton is the latest vehicle manufacturer to launch a direct competitor to Toyota HiAce dominant in Australia, as a new range cargo van and passenger K1.
Details won t be announced until the trucks on sale in January, but prices and specifications should be competitive with the Hyundai iLoad HiAce and Chinese LDV V80 is undercutting large advertisements from a box like the Ford transit, Renault Trafic, Volkswagen Transporter and Mercedes-Benz Vito.
The K1 will be imported by Southport, Queensland-based VSA machines, a joint venture with Foton Motor Co, one of the largest manufacturers of commercial vehicles in China.
Foton is already established in Australia with his two Tunland pickups and light trucks Foton, which are distributed here by Ateco Automotive, which is also important LDV, Great Wall and Chery cars from China.
VSA, which is also important Brahmins bus Australian AWD designed Dongfeng Motors in China, plans to introduce up to four new models in the coming years, including an SUV and a replacement for the K1.
Foton is one of the leading manufacturers of commercial vehicles not only in terms of Chinese manufacturers, but on a global basis, said CEO Jason PECOTIC VSA.
The initial offering will K1 van but other models are under consideration and Foton examining a number of options for 2015 and beyond, he added.
Scheduled for sale in mid-January, the K1 is powered by a 100kW Mitsubishi-source 200Nm 2 gasoline engine of 4 liters or even 120kW 360Nm Cummins ISF 2 turbodiesel 8 liters as Tunland, and will be sold through a network up to 10 dealers of commercial vehicles being recruited nationwide.
The range of K1 should include a van with long wheelbase in forms of freight and passengers 13 to 5380mm able to seat long and mounted on a wheelbase 3100mm, with both petrol diesel four cylinder engines and suitable for manual transmission five speeds.
A new Foton developed two turbo diesel 0 liters and a van short 4840mm long wheelbase and mounted on a 2570mm wheelbase should follow in 2015.
VSA has relatively low sales expectations for the K1, which has been modified to meet Australian Design Rules and expectations of local customers, but more hope for his successor V1, which was designed to achieve a safety rating Euro NCAP five-star and replace in about two years.
Established by the public company Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation BAIC in 1996, Foton sold more than 620,000 vehicles per year, employs over 40,000 people worldwide and has R D facilities in China, Japan and Germany.
Foton K1 van line-up will be the last line of new Chinese models to get here, where the Great Wall Haval brand will launch the first of three new luxury SUV this month and one of the Chinese partner of Ford, Jiangling Motors Corporation JMC, will launch its new ute Vigus followed by SUVs and trucks.
They will follow a procession of Chinese brands launched in Australia since 2009, led by the Great Wall, Chery, Geely, MG, Foton truck ute, ZX Auto, Higer and LDV, which is a subsidiary of another government-owned auto giant conglomerate China, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation SAIC.
Despite the proliferation of Chinese brands, local sales of manufactured Chinese vehicles have dropped dramatically over the past two years, following disasters rating crash high profile test and safety recall who saw the fall sales Great Wall from a peak of over 11,000 in 2012 to just past 6100 years.
Great Wall sales fell another 58 percent so far this year only 2400, 3780 and just the million-plus new vehicles sold in Australia in November this year were made in China down 44 percent on the same period in 2013.
Foton trucks arrive, Foton, vans arrive, Automotive Industry Corporation.