News

China Commercial Vehicle & Axle Industry News Weekly

Aug 14,2026 

Commercial Vehicle Export — Fresh Data This Week

Foton Motor — Overseas Market Surges +90.7%

  • July overseas sales +90.7% YoY (new metric vs. prior issues that only reported total sales)
  • July total vehicle sales: 51,784 units (+12.6% YoY); Jan–Jul cumulative 412,188 units (+10.4% YoY)
  • NEV July sales: 11,288 units; Jan–Jul NEV cumulative 70,383 units (+21.48% YoY)
  • Strategic note: Foton advancing Mexico 2nd plant for EV production targeting U.S. export

Farizon (远程) — World's First NEV CV Brand to Hit 600,000 Units

  • Aug 10: 600,000th NEV commercial vehicle (Xinghan H Europe Edition) rolled off line — first globally to reach this milestone
  • H1 2026 export +123% YoY; July overseas shipments +13.2% YoY
  • 4 consecutive years No.1 in China NEV CV sales; Jan–Jul sales 107,589 units
  • 10th anniversary of brand; targeting 1 million annual sales by 2030

BYD — Japan Market Breakthrough & ~970k Overseas Jan–Jul

  • RACCO model launched in Japan July 28; orders surpassed 1,002 units within two weeks (by Aug 9)
  • Jan–Jul overseas sales ≈ 970,000 units (new cumulative figure)
  • July overseas: 180,500 units (+123.6% YoY); export ratio 43.1%

Chery Group — Europe 24 Countries +212%, Global Users Top 20M

  • Jan–Jul cumulative export: 1,146,350 units (+71.2% YoY) — first Chinese automaker past 1.1M exports YTD
  • Europe (24 countries) +212% YoY; global cumulative users >20.16M, overseas users >6.99M
  • July export 202,533 units (+70.1%); ranked No.9 globally by sales share (4.1%)

JAC Group — Steady July, EV Pickup Momentum

  • July total 28,605 units (+13.53% YoY); Jan–Jul 200,991 units (−6.87% YoY)
  • NEV passenger July 1,277 units (−33.66% YoY); pickup exports strong (+70% prior week)

Electric Drive Axle & Powertrain Highlights

1. Sinotruk HOWO 513kWh Electric-Axle Tractor

Integrated e-axle + under-floor battery architecture lowers center of gravity, balances axle load. Battery does not encroach on cargo space; native 360° panoramic view for long-haul safety.

2. Beijing Heavy Truck 追梦EV Launched (Aug 11, Changzhou)

"全能智驱 创赢未来" new-energy heavy truck launch — upgrades green/high-end product strategy. Targets efficient low-cost fleet operation and logistics decarbonization.

3. FAW Jiefang Light Central Integrated High-Speed E-Axle (CAR4E060-01)

Rated axle load 4t, self-weight 305 kg, hydraulic disc brake — compact light-CV e-axle solution.

4. JAC EZ6 5-Ton Integrated Parallel-Shaft E-Axle (Aug 7 launch, recap)

Bosch 2nd-gen flat-wire motor + industry-first 450 N·m 5-ton integrated parallel-shaft e-axle. Reconfirmed as benchmark for CV powertrain consolidation trend.

Axle Lightweighting — Policy-Driven Acceleration

1. Mandatory EV Energy-Consumption Standard GB 36980.1 Forces Lightweighting

  • Effective Jan 2026: tiered kWh/100km limits by curb weight; overweight models risk failing homologation
  • 10% weight reduction → 5–8% range gain, 0.3–0.4 kWh/100km savings — compliance's most cost-effective path
  • Drives "aluminum-for-aluminum" advances: e.g., Hongqiao/Guoke Light Metal NEV heavy-truck battery PACK achieves 28% lightweighting; ADC12 housing single-part −50% weight, −25% cost

2. Material Roadmap

  • Entry: high-strength steel (15–25% reduction)
  • Mid: steel-aluminum hybrid bodies (30–40% per-part reduction)
  • High-end: aluminum + magnesium + carbon fiber (magnesium −33% vs aluminum)

Macro & Policy Watch

  • UK (Aug 11): boosts funding for zero-emission vehicle R&D; 2030 ICE new-sale ban, 2035 full zero-emission
  • China robotaxi enters UAE (Aug 11): Baidu Apollo Go, WeRide, Pony.ai expanding overseas
  • Weichai-Fudi / Yantai NEV industrial park (Aug 11): battery + storage + materials cluster expanding

Weekly Outlook

  1. Export geographies shifting: Africa/LatAm/SEA remain strong; Europe now core growth frontier for BYD & Chery.
  2. NEV CV scaling: Farizon 600k milestone confirms China's NEV commercial-vehicle lead is structural.
  3. E-axle product wave: HOWO, Beijing Heavy Truck, Jiefang all shipping integrated e-axle CVs this quarter.
  4. Lightweighting becomes compliance-driven, not optional — GB 36980.1 reshapes axle/PACK design.
  5. OEM divergence: BYD (pure EV) and Chery (ICE+NEV) dual-track versus Foton/Farizon NEV-CV focus.