China may sell at least 480,000 heavy trucks this year, experts predict

Shanghai. December 17 (Gasgoo.com) – China is expected to sell at least 480,000 heavy trucks this year, according to Chinese auto experts’ prediction. In the first ten months of the year, China sold 412,657 heavy trucks, up 65.40 percent from one year earlier.

The buoyant sales have led to heavy truck makers to raise their sales target," said an official of a heavy truck maker. “But the most powerful driving force is the new guidelines on China's toll road management that bans overloading.”

The new guidelines are forcing logistic companies to buy more heavy trucks to avoid overloading their trucks, the official explained.

In the first 10 months, sales of 32-ton or even heavier trucks soared 265.62 percent to 1,700 units, while sales of 26-32 ton heavy trucks went up 109.62 percent to 27,100 units and sales of 19-26 ton trucks reached 37,100 units, according to China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

The table below shows top 9 best selling heavy truck makers in Jan-Oct.

Rank  Heavy truck maker  Jan-Oct sales  Y-o-Y change
1 Sinotruck (Shandong)    85,600               73.34%
2 FAW-Jiefang (Jilin)          83,500               53.5%
3 Dongfeng                          73,000               32.6%
4 Beiqi Foton (Beijing)       52,800              120.17%
5 Shaanxi Heavy Trucks   49,900               87.55%
6 SAIC-Iveco-Hongyan      20,900              n/a
7 Baotou Beifang Benchi 13,700               n/a
8 JAC (Anhui)                      9,100                292.4%
9 Valin (Hunan)                  9,000                117.7%

Source: China Association of Automobile Manufacturers