Japanese truck maker Hino Motors Ltd. will develop a range of mid-sized trucks aimed at the United States and China, despite the economic slowdown, Bloomberg reported. The trucks will range from Class 3 to Class 7, and some will be diesel-powered, Hino President Tadaaki Jagawa said. The company hopes to begin designs next year and to eventually increase U.S. sales 10-fold, to 20,000 units per year. Hino is looking to increase sales in other countries as sales of mid-sized trucks in Japan falls to the lowest level in three decades. Jagawa said he has high expectations for the Chinese market, due to the approaching 2008 Olympic Games and developing economic acceleration, he said. Hino Motors Ltd. is 50-percent owned by Toyota Motor Corp.