Two makers of medium-duty trucks are making a push into the Canadian market.

Canada Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America has appointed longtime Volvo Canada executive Brian Shantz as director of sales and opening a headquarters in Mississauga, Ont.
The new company plans to offer the same wide range of Class 3 to 7 cabover straight trucks and chassis that its New Jersey-based affiliate has been providing in the United States since 1985, and 25 Canadian dealers should be in place by the end of 2001. The initial dealer-development thrust will be in Ontario, followed by Western Canada.
The Canadian operation will report directly to Mitsubishi Fuso in Japan, and is not a subsidiary of the U.S. operation. At least in the immediate future, the Canadian inventory will be imported from Japan through the port of Baltimore, and the Mitsubishi Fuso parts warehouse in Bridgeport, NJ, will support the needs of MFTA Canada.
In addition, the Isuzu-built W Series of low-cab-forward medium-duty trucks is coming to Canada, thanks to a recently announced agreement between General Motors of Canada and Isuzu.
The Class 3 through 5 W Series is sold in the U.S. by GM, Chevrolet, and Isuzu dealers in a competitive environment that sees the same truck carry any of the three firms' nameplates.
In Canada, there will be 21 sales locations established at selected existing GMC truck dealerships, with all locations to be announced and stocked by the end of 1999. Company sources say an ultimate share of 12% to 15% of the Canadian class-3 to class-5 market is seen as a feasible target.