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PRESS RELEASE

Mitsubishi Fuso on Track to Record Overseas Sales
in Fiscal Year 2004

February 2 , 2005

  • Overseas sales increased by 27% in third quarter
  • Overseas sales certain to cross 100,000 unit mark
  • Growth in every world region
Tokyo - Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) today announced details of its group overseas sales* for the third quarter of fiscal year 2004 (October - December). Overseas sales surged by 27% or 6,100 units to 29,200 trucks and buses against the same period in the previous fiscal year. In the first nine months of fiscal year 2004 (April – December), overseas sales increased by 24% to 88,500 units, a plus of 17,400 units. Total overseas sales in the previous fiscal year reached 97,300 units.

Bert van Dijk, MFTBC Board member and responsible for International Sales & Services, said: "Strong sales help us to tackle the challenges we face. For the full fiscal year, we are now certain to exceed last year’s excellent performance and we are on track to reach record overseas sales. It shows that we have a strong brand, reliable products, a very high customer loyalty and a dedicated organization.”

Mitsubishi Fuso increased its overseas sales in every world region. In the first nine months, MFTBC achieved particularly strong growth in Asia and the Middle East:

  • In the Asia region (excluding Japan), group sales went up by 24% to 52,300 units. This represents the largest unit sales increase of all regions (plus 10,100 units).

  • In the Middle East region, group sales increased by 30% to 14,500 units, a plus of 3,400 units.
Mitsubishi Fuso domestic sales (and domestic production and exports from Japan) are reported on a monthly basis by automobile associations. Overall, the Japanese market contracted by minus 22% in the first nine months of fiscal year 2004 (April – December). In this period, Mitsubishi Fuso domestic sales reached 43,300 trucks and buses. The market share of Mitsubishi Fuso slipped by 4.1 percentage points to 23.6%.
In fiscal year 2003, global sales of trucks and buses reached 193,000 units. Overseas sales of 97,300 units accounted for 51% of global unit sales.
In March 2004, MFTBC became a fully consolidated subsidiary after DaimlerChrysler AG raised its share to 65%. As an integral part of the largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world, MFTBC is better positioned to master its challenges and to compete in the competitive global truck and bus market.

* : Group sales are defined as wholesales at subsidiaries plus shipments to international distributors.

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