Hino Motors Ltd. is testing trucks that can withstand extreme cold in a bid to expand sales in the Russian market, company officials said Saturday.

Since late January, Hino Motors has been conducting testing in Magadan in Russia's Far East — where the mercury can plunge to minus 50 degrees — and is planning to launch the cold-weather trucks around 2015.

"The purpose is to see how far they can run under the worst conditions," a Hino Motors official said. "Even if the engine starts well, it may hit a snag on the way and we can discover problems during testing."