Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America (MFTA) showed off its new 2014 model year Canter FE and FG Series commercial medium-duty trucks at the NTEA's 2103 Work Truck Show earlier this month, featuring a range of new options including: a Bluetooth radio; a longer, 169.3-in. wheelbase for the Class 3 Canter FE 125; and a side-mounted fuel tank.
Also, all Canter models are expected to be in compliance with the EPA’s new GHG rules by April 2013, a full two years ahead of the regulatory compliance mandate, the OEM said.
The longer wheelbase for the Canter FE 125 model will allow the application of bodies up to 20-ft.long in a truck with a GVWR of 12,500 lb. and a body/payload capacity of 7,095 lbs., noted Todd Bloom, president and CEO of MFTA – a configuration ideal for “high-bulking” applications such as furniture delivery, he added.
The optional side-mounted fuel tank can replace the standard rear, in-frame tank on any 2014 FE model with a wheelbase of 133.9 inches or longer, for delivery trucks that require “tuck-under” liftgates or for rollback or stinger type auto recovery applications, Bloom said.
“And, while it may not seem like a major change, the addition of the Clarion AM/FM/CD radio, with its Bluetooth, MP3 and USB compatibility, recognizes a fact of life in our business: most medium-duty work trucks are not driven by professional drivers,” he pointed out. “So the more we can do to design our trucks to mimic the cars that our customers’ employees are used to, the better we equip those customers to hire the drivers best suited to their businesses.”
Bloom stressed that the Bluetooth capability ensures that drivers can communicate via cell phone unencumbered, offering convenience and permitting use in those areas in which hands-free operation is legislated.
