Hino opens at a hectic pace

By Glen Atwell
PRESTIGE Hino has trucked its way into Dandenong.
The brand new truck dealership, located at 43 Princes Highway, will deliver 70 new jobs to the local area with the future potential to employ 50 more.
The $25 million retail outlet and service centre was opened by Victorian Minister for Industry and State Development Theo Theophanous last Friday and has already been inundated with new business.
Built on 27,000 square metres, the dealership includes a showroom, 32 work bays and a service division.
Dealer principal Sam Nixon said business had been hectic since the grand opening.
“We were swamped on Saturday. Business has been great,” he said.
Mr Nixon said Prestige Hino offered a diverse range of trucks, from extra small to the really big.
“Our smallest truck, the ranger, is not much bigger than a ute, but the biggest is 68 tonnes and boasts 455 horsepower,” he said.
Prestige Hino’s impressive showroom displays up to three new models, including the current 300 series, that retails between $30,000 and $40,000.
Under the outside canopy, more than 20 trucks will keep the customers satisfied.
Mr Nixon has worked with Hino for more than eleven years, including two years in Victoria, followed by three years as regional manager for Queensland and New South Wales.
He has also spent five years with the largest Hino dealer in Sydney.
Mr Nixon said his focus has been to establish Prestige Hino as the premium brand in its market segment and to create a dealership that would offer its clients an experience they would thoroughly enjoy.
The Hino Corporation sells about 5000 trucks in Australia every year.
At Friday’s opening, Mr Theophanous said Hino’s opening reinforced the Bracks Government’s $290 million commitment to the Revitalising Central Dandenong Project.
“Hino’s new facility creates even more jobs in the resurgent Dandenong region,” he said.