Hino Motors Manufacturing USA, a manufacturing subsidiary of Hino Motors, announced it has begun production of its 2011 model medium-duty trucks, which meet 2010 EPA Emissions Regulations, at its plant in West Virginia.

Next month, Starcraft and Hino will unveil their new Type C conventional school bus at a dealer meeting in Orlando, Fla. Last year, a Starcraft representative confirmed that the school bus chassis will be transported to its Indiana plant for final assembly.

The Hino 600 series is designed for the North American market and is being marketed as the Hino 268 in the U.S. The 2011 model Hino 268 is reportedly the only conventional medium-duty truck model equipped with engines in compliance with the EPA10 emission standards without using credits. The engine utilizes selective catalyst reduction, or SCR, technology.

Hino Motors Manufacturing USA is engaged in manufacturing several components for the Toyota Group platforms. The company also produces Hino branded medium and light duty commercial vehicles for distribution in the U.S.

Editor's note: Look for an article on the new Starcraft-Hino school bus in the November issue of School Transportation News magazine.