In recent years, amid the increasingly fierce competition in the domestic market, Chinese truck manufacturers have ushered in a "spring" in the overseas market. Light-duty trucks, in particular, have become the main force in China's truck exports, with export volumes rising steadily. According to customs statistics released by the China Automobile Dealers Association, China's light-duty truck exports have maintained rapid growth from 2019 to 2024. From January to April 2025, the cumulative export of light-duty trucks reached 163,000 units, accounting for 56.4% of total truck exports and representing a year-on-year increase of 46%, leading the growth across all segments. Based on the current growth rate, Fangde.com predicts that China's light-duty truck exports will jump to the 500,000-unit mark in 2025, entering a new stage of development.
Strong Overseas Demand Creates Opportunities for Chinese Light-Duty Trucks
The popularity of Chinese light-duty trucks in overseas markets is mainly driven by the growing global demand for logistics and transportation. As of April 2025, the top 10 export markets for China's fuel-powered trucks include Mexico, Vietnam, Chile, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, South Africa, Ecuador, Indonesia, Australia, and Ghana. For pure electric trucks, the main export destinations are Thailand, France, Peru, the United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines; while hybrid trucks are mainly exported to Australia, Mexico, the Philippines, New Zealand, and South Africa.
The advantageous markets for Chinese trucks, such as Central and South America, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia, are precisely the fast-growing developing economies and emerging markets globally, where logistics demand continues to rise. With the promotion of new energy vehicle applications, Chinese light-duty trucks have also made breakthroughs in markets such as Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South America. In particular, the release of demand from countries along the "Belt and Road Initiative" has provided broad space for China's light-duty truck exports.
Product and Service Upgrades Enhance International Competitiveness
In addition to the driving force of market demand, the self-improvement of Chinese light-duty trucks is another important reason for the booming exports. On the product side, compared with well-known European, American, and Japanese brands, Chinese light-duty trucks offer more customization options and strong price competitiveness; compared with regional brands, they boast better performance and higher quality.
On the service side, Chinese light-duty truck manufacturers have gradually shifted from a trade-oriented model to KD (Knock-Down) assembly and joint venture models, gaining advantages such as low maintenance costs and high-quality services. Taking Foton Motor as an example, it has a prominent edge in the light-duty truck sector. Not only has it ranked first in overseas sales of Chinese commercial vehicles for 14 consecutive years, but it has also continuously upgraded its export product structure towards higher value. It also leads the industry in localized operations and service network construction. From January to May 2025, Foton Motor's cumulative overseas sales exceeded 60,000 units. In April 2025, Foton Motor's local assembly plant in Brazil was put into operation—the first production line of a Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer in Brazil—with an annual production capacity of 5,000 units and the ability to produce medium-duty and light-duty trucks. Foton has also signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and multiple strategic cooperation agreements with international partners such as IVECO, AGRALE, Marcopolo, and DP World, accelerating its strategic transformation towards "ecological globalization" at full speed.
Diversified Growth of Enterprises, Full Participation in International Competition
Beyond Foton Motor, many other Chinese light-duty truck enterprises have achieved impressive results in overseas markets. In 2024, JAC Light-Duty Trucks exported 36,000 units, leading China's mid-to-high-end light-duty trucks into the global market. From January to April 2025, JAC Light-Duty Trucks achieved overseas sales of 12,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 5%. In terms of regional market structure, strategic markets such as Colombia, Saudi Arabia, and Ecuador saw growth rates exceeding 100%, while mature markets including Chile, Peru, and Pakistan maintained high growth rates of over 50%.
JAC's new energy commercial vehicles have also secured orders from nearly 100 Fortune 500 companies, including JBS (Brazil's largest food processing group) and DHL (a global logistics giant), with a cumulative delivery of over 1,400 vehicles. This marks the large-scale entry of Chinese new energy commercial vehicles into the international high-end supply chain system. At the end of 2024, JAC's electric light-duty trucks were shipped to Mexico, representing another important achievement in the expansion of Chinese light-duty trucks in the Latin American market.
In 2024, Dongfeng Shares achieved overseas sales of over 25,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 66%, setting a new historical record. At the 2025 Global New Product and Technology Promotion Conference, it secured nearly 3,000 intentional orders. At its KD plant in Morocco, Dongfeng light-duty trucks are produced on the same assembly line as internationally renowned brands such as Mercedes-Benz and ISUZU. In April 2025, Dongfeng Shares successively held opening ceremonies for its second-tier network showrooms in Marrakech and Agadir, and has now completed the layout of 14 second-tier networks across Morocco. The annual orders for the country are expected to exceed 2,000 units, fully demonstrating the vibrant vitality and development strength of Chinese brands in overseas markets. As a star product of Dongfeng Light-Duty Trucks, the Caput W, with its lightweight design and excellent durability, precisely meets the logistics and transportation needs in Morocco and has won high recognition from customers. This marks the successful implementation of Dongfeng Light-Duty Trucks' "product + service" dual-drive strategy in Morocco.
In May 2025, Jiangling Motors Group (JMCG) and its Philippine partner, Auto Global Inc., delivered 20 units of Jiangling's new-generation Kaiyun + light-duty trucks to J&T Express Philippines, signifying a new stage in their cooperation in the local logistics sector. Currently, Jiangling's light-duty trucks are making steady progress in overseas markets: they have entered the markets of Kenya and Senegal, successfully delivered vehicles to Bimbo (a global leader in the baking industry) in Paraguay, achieved cumulative sales of over 10,000 units in Vietnam, and successfully rolled off the assembly line at its local plant in Du Cheng, Vietnam.
According to the "SPRINT2030" internationalization strategy launched by FAW Jiefang at the end of 2024, the company aims to achieve overseas sales of 180,000 units by 2030, accounting for more than one-third of its total sales. In 2025, FAW Jiefang's light-duty trucks continue to make breakthroughs in overseas markets. Leveraging three core advantages—full-scenario adaptability, a high-performance powertrain, and extreme reliability—it has taken a key step in its layout in the Southeast Asian market.
To address the long rainy seasons and rural road conditions in Southeast Asia, the Tiger VH 4×4 all-wheel-drive (AWD) light-duty truck has undergone all-terrain adaptability development. Its innovative AWD technology solves the core problem of insufficient passability of traditional two-wheel-drive models, while the specially enhanced heat dissipation system and anti-rust treatment effectively address the challenges of driving in high-temperature and rainy environments. In 2025, the Tiger VH 4×4 AWD light-duty truck secured an order for 500 units in Vietnam and delivered 131 units to the Philippines. In June 2025, FAW Jiefang delivered the first batch of 36 Tiger V light-duty trucks (specialized for express delivery) to J&T Express PH at its QSJ plant in the Philippines. The two parties will also establish the "FAW Jiefang & J&T Vehicle Technology Group" to develop customized models tailored to the express delivery sector's needs for lightweight design, large cargo capacity, and long battery life, as well as to share an intelligent fleet management system.
In addition, in February 2025, Weichai New Energy Commercial Vehicles successfully exported 124 Blue Engine trucks to Chile in the South American market. In the same month, Chery Commercial Vehicles rolled off the production line its first batch of Zero-Meter light-duty trucks for international orders, which were shipped to the Americas. The company also plans to launch new products in overseas markets such as Japan, Vietnam, and Canada in the future.
Chinese light-duty trucks are fully participating in international market competition and contributing Chinese wisdom to global green transportation. Although there are many uncertainties in the global market, it is certain that Chinese light-duty truck manufacturers, with their diversified layouts, will continue to expand into deeper international markets. In the future, Chinese light-duty truck enterprises will continue to leverage their advantages in the industrial and supply chains, enhance product adaptability based on the specific needs of different countries, and seize the growth window of the new energy market to achieve greater success on the international stage.
