UD Trucks Corporation (UDトラックス株式会社, UD Torakkusu Kabushikigaisha) is a Japanese company whose principal business is the manufacturing and sales of diesel trucks, buses, bus chassis, and special-purpose vehicles. Its headquarters are located in Ageo, Saitama, Japan. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Isuzu Motors since 2021.[2] Until 2010, the company was known as Nissan Diesel.
The UD name was originally used for the company’s Uniflow Diesel Engine (a two-stroke diesel engine), developed in 1955, but is now marketed as meaning “Ultimate Dependability”.
History
1935–1949
In December 1935, Nihon Diesel Industries, Ltd, in Kawaguchi, Japan on the outskirts of Tokyo was established under the leadership of Kenzo Adachi, where he purchased diesel engine schematics from a Krupp-Junkers patent. The company started production of KD-series 2-cycle diesel engines after entering into partnership and technology exchange with Friedrich Krupp AG. In November 1939, to test the durability of the LD1 truck, the company went on a 3,000 km (1,864.1 mi) test drive across Japan. The drive went to the villages of Hakone, Osaka, Kyoto, Gero, Ikaho, Niigata and Aizu before returning to Kawaguchi. The route was on very primitive mountain roads and very rural conditions. The truck returned 13 days later on November 20 without incurring any failure, and soon the trucks reliability became known. In 1940 production of 4.5-ton-payload TT6 series trucks started, and in 1942 the company was now known as Kanega-Fuchi Diesel Co., Ltd. In development of 7.5-ton-payload TN93 series trucks, featuring the largest payload capacity in the Japanese market, and the nation’s first monocoque-type BR3 series buses with rear-mounted engines. In 1946 the company name changed to Minsei Industries, Ltd. In 1949 development of 7.5-ton-payload TN93 series trucks started.
2010–present
On 1 February 2010, Nissan Diesel changed its name to UD Trucks. At the same time Nissan Diesel Trucks Japan, a 100% owned sales company of UD Trucks in Japan, changed its name to UD Trucks Japan
On September 12, 2012, UD Trucks of North America announced that it will no longer be part of the North American truck market. Reasons given for this decision was a combination of factors, including the continued shrinking of the cab-over-engine market segment and the accelerating cost of regulatory compliance.
In 2013, UD Trucks launched the UD Quester at Bangkok, a new heavy-duty truck for developing countries.
In 2014, UD Trucks merged with UD Trucks Japan.[ That same year, Volvo’s Volvo Buses started to market UD buses in India. The first model for that market, the UD SLF, was introduced in 2015.
In 2015, UD Trucks renewed its headquarters building in Ageo.
In 2016, UD Trucks started selling the Kazet, a new light-duty for the Japanese market that is supplied by Mitsubishi Fuso. In December of that year, it sold its stake in Dongvo (previously Dongfeng Nissan Diesel), a joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group, which was renamed as Dongfeng Nengdi.
In 2017, UD Trucks launched new versions of the Quon and Condor trucks. The Condor, a medium-duty truck, is supplied by Isuzu as part of an OEM agreement, mainly for the Japanese market. The company also launched a new Croner and the light-duty Kuzer, both aimed at developing countries.
In December 2019 Volvo signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to form a strategic alliance with Isuzu. As part of the agreement, Volvo plans to eventually transfer UD Trucks to Isuzu. In October 2020, the sale agreement became binding.
In April 2021, Isuzu Motors became the owner of UD Trucks, completing the sale with Volvo.
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