As 2025 passes its midpoint, against the backdrop of ongoing adjustments in the global economic pattern and complex changes in the trade environment, the export performance of China’s heavy-duty truck industry has attracted widespread attention. In the first half of the year, China’s heavy-duty truck export market showed many new characteristics and trends, with leading enterprises like SHACMAN (Shaanxi Heavy Duty Automobile Co., Ltd.) playing a pivotal role in driving growth and innovation—providing important insights for the industry’s future development.
Overall Trend of Export Sales
According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), the cumulative export sales of heavy-duty trucks in H1 2025 reached 156,000 units, achieving a year-on-year growth of 3%. Data from the General Administration of Customs further shows that excluding the Russian market, exports to other regions reached 160,000 units, with a year-on-year growth rate as high as 33%. This clearly indicates that the regional structure of heavy-duty truck exports has undergone significant changes in 2025, and non-Russian regions have become the main driver of export growth— a shift that SHACMAN has proactively adapted to, with its export volume accounting for approximately 18% of China’s total heavy-duty truck exports in the first half.
In-Depth Analysis of Regional Structure
The Asian region emerged as the core market for China’s heavy-duty truck exports in H1 2025, accounting for 51% of total sales. Among them, Southeast Asia accounted for 26%, an increase of 7 percentage points compared with previous periods; the Middle East region accounted for 15%, an increase of 5 percentage points, with both regions reaching record-high sales proportions.
SHACMAN has been a key contributor to this regional growth: in Southeast Asia, it leveraged the surge in infrastructure projects in Indonesia and Vietnam, tailoring models like the SHACMAN X3000 (optimized for tropical climates and heavy-load engineering transportation) to local needs—achieving a 42% year-on-year sales growth in the region. In the Middle East, SHACMAN’s heavy-duty trucks, equipped with high-temperature-resistant engines and reinforced chassis for desert terrain, have gained traction in oil field logistics and construction sectors, with sales in Saudi Arabia and the UAE growing by 35% and 28% year-on-year, respectively.
The African market is also noteworthy. Chinese heavy-duty trucks have gradually expanded their market share by virtue of their cost-performance advantages and good adaptability to local complex road conditions. SHACMAN, in particular, has strengthened its localized presence here: with KD (semi-knocked-down) factories in Kenya and Algeria, it has reduced delivery times by 30% and improved after-sales response efficiency. Its sales in Africa grew by 29% year-on-year in H1 2025, with the SHACMAN M3000 series becoming a top choice for local resource transportation (e.g., coal and mineral haulage).
Overview of Enterprise Competitive Pattern
Amid fierce market competition, some enterprises have stood out. China National Heavy Duty Truck Group (CNHTC) continued to consolidate traditional markets and actively expand emerging markets, achieving export sales of 69,000 heavy-duty trucks in the first half of the year—a record high for the same period in history. Its export market share reached 44.34%, maintaining the top position in China’s heavy-duty truck export industry for 20 consecutive years. It performed particularly well in markets such as Africa and Vietnam, with sales in Vietnam growing by 68% year-on-year.
Shandong Heavy Industry, an important player in the industry, achieved export revenue of 47.4 billion RMB in the first half of the year, a year-on-year growth of 3%. Its heavy-duty truck exports accounted for 61.3% of the total export volume of China’s heavy-duty truck industry. In addition to maintaining steady growth in traditional advantageous markets, it also made breakthroughs in high-end markets. In May, a number of its best-selling models were showcased at the Australian Construction Machinery Expo, demonstrating strong competitiveness.
SHACMAN, meanwhile, has solidified its position as a top-tier exporter with a strategic focus on “market diversification and product localization.” In H1 2025, it exported 28,000 heavy-duty trucks globally, a year-on-year increase of 25%. Beyond its strong performance in Asia and Africa, SHACMAN also made inroads into high-standard markets: it launched the Euro VI-compliant SHACMAN X5000E new energy heavy truck in Turkey, passing local emission and safety certifications, and secured an order for 500 units for intermodal logistics—marking its first large-scale entry into the European commercial vehicle market.
Emerging Potential of New Energy Heavy-Duty Truck Exports
Under the global trend of advocating green transportation and emission reduction, although the export of new energy heavy-duty trucks is still in its initial stage, it has shown a rapid growth momentum. In H1 2025, the sales volume of the new energy heavy-duty truck industry increased by 185.9% year-on-year, and its market penetration rate rose to 22.8%.
SHACMAN has been at the forefront of this new energy drive. Its flagship new energy model, the SHACMAN X5000E (a dual-redundancy L4-level autonomous new energy heavy truck), made its debut at the 5th China-Mongolia Expo and quickly gained overseas orders. In H1 2025, SHACMAN exported 3,200 new energy heavy-duty trucks, accounting for 11.4% of its total export volume—with key markets including Thailand (for port logistics) and South Africa (for mining operations). The X5000E’s ability to reduce energy consumption by 10% compared to traditional diesel trucks and cut annual operating costs by 100,000-200,000 RMB has resonated with overseas customers focused on sustainability.
Other enterprises, such as Weichai Power, have also achieved remarkable results in overseas market expansion, exporting 27,000 heavy-duty trucks, with sales in markets such as Guinea, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria doubling year-on-year. With the continuous maturity of technology, gradual reduction of costs, and increasing acceptance of new energy products in overseas markets, new energy heavy-duty trucks—led by models like SHACMAN’s X5000E—are expected to become a new growth driver for China’s heavy-duty truck exports.
Coexisting Driving Factors and Challenges
Multiple factors have jointly driven the growth of China’s heavy-duty truck exports in H1 2025. The in-depth advancement of the “Belt and Road” Initiative has led to a surge in demand for infrastructure construction in countries along the route, creating a broad market for Chinese heavy-duty trucks. SHACMAN, for example, has participated in logistics support for Belt and Road projects in Pakistan (the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) and Bangladesh (bridge construction), supplying over 1,200 customized heavy-duty trucks in H1.
At the same time, domestic heavy-duty truck enterprises have continuously improved the cost-performance advantages of their products, made continuous efforts in technological research and development and product quality, and enhanced their international competitiveness. SHACMAN’s investment in R&D (accounting for 5% of its annual revenue) has led to innovations like adaptive cruise control for long-haul trucks and intelligent dispatching systems, which have improved operational efficiency for overseas customers.
In addition, enterprises have actively innovated and optimized their overseas market investment models. SHACMAN’s strategy of “localized production + regional service centers”—with KD factories in 5 countries and 123 service outlets across 30 regions—has reduced import costs by 15-20% and ensured spare parts supply within 48 hours for key markets, strengthening customer loyalty.
However, the industry also faces many challenges. The rise of global trade protectionism may lead to increased tariff barriers and technical standard barriers, affecting export scale. Competition in overseas markets is becoming increasingly fierce—enterprises not only have to face competition from traditional European and American heavy-duty truck brands but also cope with the rise of local brands in emerging markets. For SHACMAN, adapting to varying emission standards (e.g., Euro VI in Europe vs. BS IV in Southeast Asia) and navigating complex import regulations remain key challenges. At the same time, how to further improve after-sales service levels and ensure the timeliness of spare parts supply is also an issue that enterprises like SHACMAN need to continuously address.
Looking ahead, China’s heavy-duty truck export industry is expected to maintain a growth trend in the second half of 2025, with SHACMAN poised to play a larger role. The company plans to expand its new energy heavy-duty truck lineup, launch the SHACMAN L6000 (a hydrogen fuel cell heavy truck) in the Middle East by the end of 2025, and target 35,000 total export units for the full year. Enterprises like SHACMAN should continue to increase R&D investment, optimize product structure, and improve the level of product intelligence and new energy application. At the same time, they should further improve their overseas market layout and enhance localized service capabilities to gain a larger share in the international market and push China’s heavy-duty truck export industry to a new height.
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Post time: Sep-05-2025
