Industry Report ｜ November 4, 2026 ｜ Covering: customs & CAAM export data · Foton · Sinotruk · FAW Jiefang · SHACMAN ｜ Full source list and reliability assessment attached at the end of this report
China’s heavy-truck exports are on track for a record year. Customs data show September 2026 shipments reached about 47,900 units — up 42.6% year on year — with exports to both Africa and Latin America hitting their highest monthly levels since 2015. Behind the numbers, leading manufacturers spent October signing orders, commissioning localized plants and rolling out new-energy models across Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Export data: a record September, and the gap with domestic sales keeps narrowing
According to customs data cited by brokerage research (Zhongtai Securities automotive team, October 20, 2026), China exported 47,900 heavy trucks in September 2026, up 42.6% year on year and 16.6% month on month. Cumulative exports for January–September reached 363,500 units, up 40.5% year on year — keeping heavy trucks one of the fastest-growing segments of China’s vehicle export mix.
Regional breakdown for September:
- Africa: 22,400 units (+49.1% YoY), a monthly record since 2015, accounting for 46.7% of total heavy-truck exports.
- Latin America: 5,400 units (+129.3% YoY), also a post-2015 monthly record, driven largely by fast-growing demand in markets such as Peru.
- Southeast Asia: 9,100 units (+17.8% YoY), with demand improving sequentially.
- Central Asia and West Asia: 2,700 and 2,400 units respectively (+13.9% and −40.0% YoY).
The top five destination countries in September were Vietnam (4,328), Tanzania (3,073), Nigeria (2,573), Peru (1,733) and Kenya (1,678). Note that the customs statistics are compiled by HS code and may include some medium- and light-duty trucks, so the absolute figures differ slightly from the CAAM (China Association of Automobile Manufacturers) caliber; CAAM data for September put total truck exports at 118,000 units (+51.5% YoY) and commercial-vehicle exports at 133,000 units (+44.3%), with January–September commercial-vehicle exports at 1.039 million units (+38.8%).
Market concentration is also rising. Brokerage research published in late October indicates that Sinotruk (CNHTC) holds roughly 47.6% of China’s heavy-truck export market — the No.1 position — up about 2.6 percentage points from last year as a whole, benefiting directly from the surge in African and Southeast Asian demand.
Key takeaway: With domestic heavy-truck sales under pressure, exports have become the industry’s main growth engine. Africa and Latin America are setting monthly records, Southeast Asia is recovering, and Chinese OEMs are shifting from “selling trucks overseas” to building localized manufacturing, financing and service networks.
Africa: Foton stages its largest-ever African partner conference and delivers 1,800 heavy trucks
On October 29, Foton held its “Drive to Great” Africa Regional Partner Conference at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa, drawing around 700 attendees from 42 African countries — dealers, key customers, industry partners and government and business representatives. According to the company’s announcement distributed by PR Newswire:
- Foton completed delivery ceremonies for 1,000 heavy trucks to Ghana and 800 heavy trucks to Zambia.
- Its overseas business unit signed new-energy product agreements covering Mozambique (200 units), Ethiopia (100 units) and Kenya (100 units), plus a batch procurement project in Zambia, targeting green transition scenarios in mining and agriculture.
- Two new heavy-truck models — the GALAXUS R5 and GALAXUS C5 — were officially launched for the African market, alongside the Tunland V plug-in hybrid pickup.
- Six localization agreements for local manufacturing were signed with partners in Tanzania, Kenya and Zimbabwe, building on Foton’s existing 16 factories across Africa and 300-plus authorized service outlets.
- Financing and parts-support partnerships were announced with WesBank and with DP World for an Africa parts center.
Foton reported January–September 2026 exports of 168,500 vehicles, up 43.6% year on year — the company has ranked No.1 in China commercial-vehicle exports for 15 consecutive years. The African move followed Foton’s September appearance at the IAA Transportation show in Hannover, where it delivered its 13-millionth vehicle worldwide (an Auman Galaxy 9 heavy truck destined for Spain) and unveiled a European strategy targeting 40% internationalization by 2030.
Sinotruk, FAW and SHACMAN: orders and milestones across three continents
Sinotruk (CNHTC) continued its export lead in October. The first batch of vehicles under an Eritrea project — 266 units — arrived at the port of Massawa and completed handover and acceptance with the local customer in under a day, supported by a dedicated project team overseeing shipping, port consolidation and loading milestones. In Malaysia, Sinotruk International signed a new-energy vehicle cooperation framework agreement with a large local logistics company in Kuala Lumpur on October 13, following an initial cooperation intent reached at the Sepang F1 circuit earlier in the month. The brand also showcased complete vehicles, assemblies and parts at the 140th Canton Fair (October 15–19), held as the fair marked its 70th anniversary.
FAW Jiefang shipped the first batch of 210 trucks to the United Arab Emirates in late October — a milestone that moves its Gulf business from channel development into volume delivery. Earlier in October, at a regional dealer conference in Yangon, FAW signed a strategic memorandum with its Myanmar partner covering 1,500 vehicles for 2027; the FAW brand currently holds the top position in Myanmar’s truck market. In Saudi Arabia, distributor Western Auto (Al Ghurair Mobility) delivered FAW JH6 420hp tractor units for commercial freight operations.
SHACMAN (Shaanxi Automobile) signed an order for 200 heavy trucks with an Indonesian dealer on October 29, reinforcing its “One Country, One Vehicle” localization strategy in Southeast Asia. Trade-media reports also flagged the company’s first batch of X3000 battery-electric tractors delivered to a customer in Algeria (announced October 16) for port and mining transport, and handovers of X3000 CNG tractors to East African customers under its “Burn Less, Earn More” gas-truck campaign — though these two items were reported by third-party trade-information sites rather than SHACMAN’s official channels, and specific volumes and acceptance details were not disclosed (see the source assessment below).
New-energy heavy trucks head offshore
October’s announcements underline a clear pattern: new-energy powertrains are becoming a competitive edge in exports. Battery-electric tractors reached North Africa, CNG tractors are scaling in East African long-haul corridors, and Foton signed three country-level new-energy product agreements at its Africa conference. In parallel, manufacturers are pairing vehicle deliveries with localized service infrastructure — technician training, regional spare-parts stock and, in Foton’s case, financing partnerships — to lower adoption barriers for fleet operators weighing total cost of ownership in emerging markets.
What it means for international buyers
- Supply is available and lead times are competitive: record export volumes mean container and roll-on/roll-off shipping capacity to Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia is being actively booked by OEMs; buyers can negotiate delivery windows alongside price.
- Localization reduces lifecycle risk: with 16 Foton plants in Africa and expanding Sinotruk/SHACMAN service networks, spare-parts availability and warranty support in key markets are improving — verify the local service footprint before signing.
- New-energy options are real but young: electric, CNG and hydrogen models are now export-proven in pilot volumes; buyers should require application-specific evidence (charging/refueling infrastructure, acceptance criteria, support obligations) in contracts.
