Chinese crackers
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China’s power-house economy might be slowing, but the demand for heavy trucks remains enormous. CM was at the recent Beijing International Auto Show to check out the local talent
Words: Gianenrico Griffin To understand why the world’s truck manufacturers are so keen to compete in China you only have to look at the numbers. Last year, some 881,000 heavy trucks were sold there, along with a staggering 1.25 million light trucks. Compare that with the 29,154 above 16-tonne chassis sold in the LTK last year, and you begin to grasp the market potential. Examine the figures even more closely and it’s obvious that China’s massive infrastructure projects continue to drive demand, with 39% of all heavy trucks sold being tippers. Walking around the Beijing International Auto Show you can’t help but notice the great strides being made by domestic truck makers either – with or without Western partners. ■
Navistar
Navistar showcased its new global cabover, the International AeroStar, which is due to go into full production in 2013, “to demonstrate its global growth capabilities with new innovative product opportunities for the Chinese market”. Navistar already has a joint venture partnership with Chinese truck maker Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Company (JAC). “Our vision is to leverage JAC’s capability to design a next-generation vehicle for China and together we can develop a truck for export to other markets around the world,” says Navistar Asia Pacific president Troy Clarke.
Daf
Paccar plans to begin importing Daf trucks once it has established a dealer network that can support its trucks and the Paccar engine range. Mediumand long-term plans could involve local assembly, as in Taiwan. The target market will be the high-end quality segment, with the focus on long-haul and construction and mining applications, including tippers. Daf also has models for local distribution.
Iveco
Iveco has a number of joint ventures in China via SAIC, one of China’s top three automotive manufacturers. Naveco (Iveco has a 50% stake) builds the Power Daily and the Yuejin range of light and medium vehicles, while SIH, (SAIC-Iveco Hongyan Commercial Vehicles, in which Iveco and SAIC together hold 67% of the shares) builds heavy rigids and artics, including the new 6x4 Genlyon M100 tractor, which is powered by a 380hp Cursor 9 engine.
JAC
Chinese manufacturer Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Company (JAC) builds its own range of JAC trucks (badged lights, mediums and heavies) for export as well as the domestic market. They include a high-roof 6x2 tag-axle Gallop sleeper cab tractor plated for 60-tonnes GCW. It’s available with either a locally built WD.615 9.7-litre 380hp turbodiesel developing 1,460Nm of torque or the familiar Cummins ISMe 440 10.8-litre straight-six with 2,100Nm. Gearbox choice is between a nine-speed Eaton, or a trusty 16-speed ZF Ecosplit.
Foton
Described as “China’s first world-standard, heavy-duty truck” , the Foton Auman GTL tractor made its debut at Beijing ushering in “an era of high-quality trucks”. Its striking high-roof sleeper cab sits atop an 11-litre Cummins engine rated up to 420hp, coupled to an Eaton gearbox, within a Mercedes-Benz chassis. In 2010 Foton’s international sales exceeded 31,800 units. Foton ranks fifth as an exporter of Chinese vehicles and second as an exporter of Chinese CVs. It also holds partnerships with Cummins and Daimler.
Mercedes-Benz
Daimler sells its own range of Mercedes-Benz trucks in China including the ‘old’ Actros 2641 on display at Beijing, which is badged as the FleetStar. According to the German truck maker, FleetStar is “tailor-made for the Chinese market with competitive pricing, 10%-15% lower than competing products, [which] will allow more new Chinese customers to experience the world’s highest quality products and benchmark services of Mercedes-Benz Trucks”.
Dayun
Leading domestic heavy truck maker Dayun’s DYX3310 ultra-light, eight-legger seen here is powered by a 290hp, 10-litre Weichai in-line six diesel engine, with optional ratings up to 336hp. Almost 40% of all heavy trucks sold in China are specced as tippers, doubtless to support the plethora of massive infrastructure projects taking place.
FAW
FAW has a joint venture in China with Volkswagen on cars and CVs. It unveiled its latest Jiefang J6L 4x2 10to 15-tonne GVW Cargo Truck featuring an attractive, and noticeably low-mounted day-cab, making it well set up for urban delivery work. Visibility for the driver is impressive, thanks to the deep windscreen. Power is provided by fourand six-litre Deutz engines, with electronic unit pump technology, coupled to a six-speed auto box.
Dong Feng
The Dong Feng T-Lift six-wheel heavy-duty tipper is powered by a Euro-5 certified Cummins ISLe rated at 340hp, coupled to a familiar ZF Ecosplit 16-speed synchro manual box. Chinese CV emission regs currently depend on whether it’s ‘national’ or within Beijing/Shanghai. However, from mid-2013 the minimum heavy-duty standard will be Euro-4. Safety regs are being introduced including front under-run and cab roll-over protection.
Hino
You’d expect Japanese truck manufacturers to be competing in China, and Hino is the obvious example of the next-door-neighbour offering its goods at Beijing. It had a broad display of products on show, including this 700 Series eight-wheeler with a concrete mixer body on the back. After the early preview of the 7.5-tonne Euro-5 300 Series in Birmingham, we await the arrival of similar emission-standard Hino heavies in the UK.
Renault
Volvo was one of the manufacturers flying the European flag at Beijing with this Renault Midlum 270DXi fire engine to remind visitors of the strength of the Volvo/Renault truck family.
Yuejin
New for 2012 at Beijing from Naveco, the long-standing joint venture between Nanjing Auto and Iveco, was the latest six-tonne Yuejin K301 light middleweight rigid, complete with box body. It’s powered by a 2.8-litre SOFIM diesel rated at 123hp and has a similar size cab to the Iveco Leoncino export light truck, shown at the IAA show in 2010.