30 Years strong: Eshan Coorey leading WA Hino into its next chapter

For more than three decades, WA Hino has represented the Hino brand across one of Australia’s largest and most demanding markets. As the dealership celebrates 30 years with Hino, Dealer Principal Eshan Coorey reflects on the people, partnerships and enduring reputation that have shaped its success — and why he believes the next chapter could be one of its most exciting yet.

Western Australia presents a unique challenge for any transport operator.

Spanning more than 2.5 million square kilometres, with vast distances separating cities, regional communities, mine sites and businesses, it is a market where reliability is essential.

And WA itself is changing.

Once characterised as a ‘boom and bust’ economy heavily influenced by the resources sector, Eshan Coorey believes Western Australia today tells a much broader story. Strong migration, major infrastructure investment and growth across construction, housing, defence, transport, resources and renewable energy are increasing the need to move people, goods and services across enormous distances.

For Eshan, that environment helps explain why Hino has built such a strong reputation in the West.

For more than 30 years, WA Hino has been the local face of the Hino brand, supporting customers across a diverse mix of industries and applications throughout Western Australia.

Across those three decades, trucks, technology and customer expectations have evolved significantly. But Eshan believes one thing has remained constant.

The current WA Hino dealership was ceremonially opened on 8 March 2004 by Takeshi Iida, then Senior Managing Director of Hino Motors Limited, with WA Hino already in operation since 1995 at a prior location.

Since then, the dealership has accumulated numerous accolades from Hino Australia, Hino Motors Limited and Eagers Automotive, including being named Dealer of the Year on multiple occasions.

More importantly, it has built enduring relationships across business-to-business, local and state government, rental, fleet and retail markets, while becoming home to many long-serving employees.

“Our strength is our staff at WA Hino,” Eshan said. "We are fortunate to have one of the most experienced teams in the business.”

Although Eshan joined WA Hino in 2020, his relationship with Hino began much earlier — and on the other side of the world.

His association with Hino dates back to the early 2000s, when his career gave him the opportunity to work closely with Hino Motors Limited in Japan.  That experience gave him first-hand exposure not only to Hino products, but to the culture behind them.

“I was amazed by the sheer passion that went into producing each Hino truck and the rich heritage behind the Hino brand,” he said.

So when the opportunity arose to join WA Hino in 2020, Eshan wasn't stepping into unfamiliar territory.  “This was a brand I knew like the back of my hand,” he said.  “It felt like home. My confidence levels were at an all-time high, and so the journey started.”

A few years later, that journey would see Eshan take the reins as Dealer Principal.

Today, he leads a team he describes with obvious pride — people who, in his words, “proudly wear the WA Hino logo on their chest, day in and day out.”

The results have followed.

WA Hino was recognised as Eagers Automotive WA Business of the Year in 2024, followed by Eagers National Truck Business of the Year in 2025, alongside a number of awards from Hino Australia.

Central to WA Hino’s longevity is its longstanding partnership with Hino Australia.

Geographically, WA Hino may be the furthest Hino dealership from Hino Australia’s Sydney headquarters, but Eshan says distance has never translated into isolation.

“The dealer-distributor relationship between Hino Australia and WA Hino has grown from strength to strength over the years,” he said.

Regular visits from Hino Australia’s Sales, Parts and Service teams provide direct support, while WA Hino also benefits from  its dedicated Regional Manager, Hendrik Van Der Valt.

That support became particularly important during periods of constrained new-truck supply, when Hino Australia worked with dealerships to strengthen aftersales opportunities and keep the network informed of broader global challenges affecting business.

For Eshan, some of the strongest examples of the partnership have come from Hino Australia’s willingness to be present alongside WA Hino and its customers.

Members of the Hino Australia leadership team have regularly travelled west for new-model launches, roadshows, Supercars events, the WA Hino Golf Day and other customer activities.

During one particularly challenging period for the Hino brand, Hino Australia President and CEO Richard Emery also travelled to Western Australia to meet customers personally and address questions around Hino’s future and commitment to the Australian market.

“Hino Australia’s leadership team has never turned down an opportunity to join myself and the team for customer-centric events,” Eshan said.

It is a partnership that has evolved over decades — dealership, distributor and manufacturer working together to support the customer at the end of the chain.

WA Hino's 30-year milestone also highlights how significantly the product itself has evolved.

Across Hino’s 300, 500 and 700 Series, successive generations have delivered advancements in safety, efficiency, environmental performance, capability and driver experience, without losing the characteristics upon which the Hino reputation in Western Australia was built.

For WA operators, that balance is particularly important.

A truck may be working in metropolitan Perth, travelling through regional Western Australia or operating in demanding mining, construction and infrastructure environments where uptime is critical.

The breadth of the Hino range has allowed WA Hino to support customers across those varied applications while technology has continued to move the product forward.

And the next chapter is already taking shape.

From early 2027, WA Hino expects to once again have a complete model offering across Hino’s three core ranges.  “The 300, 500 and 700 will be back in full swing,” he said.

For a dealership serving such a geographically vast and commercially diverse market, having that breadth of product available represents a significant opportunity — from light-duty metropolitan applications through to medium and heavy-duty operations.

Eshan has set his expectations accordingly.

“We hope to break some records nationally,” he said.

Thirty years provides an opportunity to celebrate WA Hino’s history, but also to look ahead.

The Western Australian market will continue to evolve, as will the trucks, technology and expectations of the businesses operating within it.

What Eshan believes should not change are the fundamentals that have carried WA Hino this far: strong people, strong customer relationships, a close partnership with Hino Australia and confidence in a product built around Quality, Durability and Reliability.

For Eshan, taking the reins of WA Hino has meant becoming custodian of that history while also helping determine what comes next.

Thirty years of Hino in the West has built the foundation.

Now, with an experienced team behind him, the continued backing of Hino Australia and a full 300, 500 and 700 Series line-up ahead, Eshan believes WA Hino is ready to write its next chapter.