Shanghai, March 23 (Gasgoo.com) China's major commercial vehicle manufacturer Beiqi Foton Motor is set to sell its trucks in the Australian market after signing Western Star Trucks Australia on as the local distributor of Foton trucks, Australasian Transport News (ATN) reported yesterday.
The Foton brand is already a force in its domestic market, Western Star Australia Managing Director Paul Glavac said. Foton Motor is the largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in China and the world's second largest (after its partner Daimler AG). The Chinese CV company sold 602,021 vehicles in 2009, up 47%.
Manufactured in China by the subsidiary of state-owned Beijing Auto, the first Foton truck to arrive in Australia will be a 4.5-tonne GVM light rigid called the Aumark, to be followed by a planned long line of models from the Chinese automaker.
Foton built more than 600,000 vehicles in 2009 and has factories and engineering and design offices in many countries and regions. Its vehicles will meet the day-to-day requirements of operators and the stringent vehicle emission standards, Glavac said.
Existing Western star dealers will meet Foton's initial sales and service needs in Australia. The size of the market and the support needs of the light commercial truck customer base will lead to new Foton dealership opportunities in the future.
The Aumark comes with a high-quality 4,500mm-long x 1,995mm-wide steel tray with drop sides. It is fitted with the Cummins ISF 2.8L engine and ZF 5 speed transmission for reliability, performance and fuel economy, the ATN report said.
