Commercial vehicle exports should further pursue "value growth" -- Economy & Technology -- People's Daily Online

In 2025, China's total commercial vehicle exports reached 1.06 million units, marking a year-on-year increase of 17.2% and surpassing the one-million-unit threshold for the first time. In the first quarter of 2026, China exported 327,900 commercial vehicles, representing a year-on-year growth of 50.28%. This achievement is attributed to the combination of cyclical adjustments in the domestic commercial vehicle industry and the release of overseas demand. On one hand, the domestic market has shifted from incremental expansion to competition within the existing market, necessitating companies to seek new growth opportunities. On the other hand, numerous overseas countries and regions are continuously generating demand for commercial vehicles due to infrastructure development, logistics upgrades, public transportation updates, and mining transportation transformations.

In terms of export structure, China's commercial vehicles "going global" are no longer limited to traditional trucks and buses. Demand for heavy-duty trucks, light trucks, pickups, mining trucks, and special-purpose vehicles of different energy types has seen growth. Especially in scenarios such as ports, mines, industrial parks, and urban distribution, the life cycle cost advantages brought by electrification and intelligence are becoming an important lever for Chinese enterprises to tap into overseas markets.

However, the expansion of export scale does not necessarily mean that the capability for globalization has matured. Commercial vehicles differ from general consumer goods. Customers do not solely consider price when purchasing vehicles; instead, they focus on factors such as sustainable operation, timely maintenance, and the ability to reduce overall costs. The sale of a vehicle is just the beginning. Subsequent aspects such as parts supply, maintenance response, financial support, driver training, and operational management are crucial in determining whether customers will make repeat purchases.

The author believes that when considering Chinese commercial vehicles "going global", it is important to look beyond just sales figures and take a long-term perspective. In the past, Chinese commercial vehicle enterprises have made breakthroughs in overseas markets by relying on their strong manufacturing capabilities, complete industrial chains, and high cost-effectiveness. However, if enterprises only understand "going global" as selling domestic products abroad, ignoring differences in regulations, operating conditions, channels, and services, it will be difficult for them to establish a long-term foothold in overseas markets.

In my view, the competition for commercial vehicles to "go global" is shifting from product competition to system competition.

System competition is primarily manifested in localization capabilities. There are significant differences in road conditions, load habits, emission requirements, financial environments, and maintenance conditions across different countries. Just because a vehicle performs well domestically does not mean it will necessarily work overseas. Enterprises must conduct product verification and adaptive development based on the target market, incorporating special operating conditions such as high temperatures, extreme cold, high humidity, high dust, and long slopes into testing in advance, rather than waiting for problems to arise and then having to make up for it passively.

System competition is also reflected in service capabilities. Once commercial vehicles are taken out of service, the losses are often calculated on a daily basis. What overseas customers worry most is not vehicle malfunctions, but the lack of repair personnel, spare parts, and uncontrollable maintenance cycles after malfunctions occur. To enhance overseas recognition, Chinese brands should rely not only on the speed of new vehicle deliveries but also on the speed of service response. Spare parts warehousing, maintenance outlets, technician training, remote diagnosis, and quality traceability should all become basic configurations for "going global".

From a deeper perspective, Chinese commercial vehicle enterprises need to shift from selling products to selling solutions. The requirements for vehicles vary across different scenarios such as mining transportation, port short-haul, urban distribution, long-distance trunk lines, and public transportation. Whoever can provide vehicles, energy replenishment, maintenance, finance, capacity management, and data services tailored to specific scenarios is more likely to enhance customer loyalty and achieve more stable profits.

The external environment is also reminding enterprises that extensive "going global" is unsustainable. Some overseas markets are constantly increasing their requirements for carbon footprint, battery rules, data security, origin, local procurement, etc., while some countries' tariff policies and industrial protection measures are also changing. For Chinese enterprises, globalization is not simply about chasing high-growth markets, but about building compliance capabilities and risk resistance in an uncertain environment. Compliance prepositioning, certification first, and supply chain diversification should become the basic actions for enterprises to "go global".

At the same time, we must also be wary of low-price competition. The advantages of Chinese commercial vehicles should not be reduced to mere cheapness. If companies excessively compete on price in overseas markets, not only will their profits be squeezed, but their after-sales investment will also be weakened, ultimately affecting their brand image. The truly sustainable "going global" of the commercial vehicle industry is not about driving down prices, but about enhancing reliability, economy, and service capabilities.

The continuous breakthrough in China's commercial vehicle export sales is a result of the industry's strength enhancement and also marks a new starting point. Moving forward, what car companies will compete on is not who can "go global" faster, but who can walk more steadily; not who has more short-term orders, but who can establish local channels, services, brands, and ecological capabilities.

From "going out" to "going in", and then to "staying", Chinese commercial vehicles still need to overcome multiple hurdles in regulations, services, finance, talent, and branding. The export data is commendable, but in the long run, only by solidifying overseas operational capabilities can Chinese commercial vehicles move from scale growth to value growth in their "going global" efforts.