The Economic Observer Reporter Kouang On May 23, 2024, China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Corporation (hereinafter referred to as ” SINOTRUK “) launched the new energy light truck product launch conference in the first batch of national low-carbon pilot cities – Shenzhen.
At present, green environmental protection has become the main theme of economic development, and new energy has become a new trend in the field of commercial vehicles. With the ability to meet the diversified needs of users in different scenarios, the new energy light trucks released by SINOTRUK gained a centralized subscription of 820 units on the spot. Ten days ago, in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK ) signed a one-time market order of 1,700 new energy light trucks.
This is a microcosm of China National Heavy Duty Truck’s soaring sales and market share in recent years.
The predecessor of China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK ) is Jinan Automobile Manufacturing Plant, which was founded in 1930 and is the cradle of China’s heavy-duty automobile industry. For a long time, it has been the industry leader. Entering the 21st century, China National Heavy Duty Vehicle (CNHDC) once developed slowly and was overtaken by its rivals, with its sales ranking third in the country. However, starting from 2018, China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK ) changed hands and reorganized, shifted gears and accelerated.
In just five years, China National Heavy Duty Truck increased its heavy truck market share from 16.5% in 2018 to 26% in 2023, jumping from the third to the first in the industry and regaining its leading position in the market.
The increase in market share is the result of China National Heavy Duty Truck’s mechanism innovation in these five years, the return of scientific and technological innovation, and the performance of kinetic energy rejuvenation. All this stems from the two reforms that China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK ) implemented in 2018 that are superimposed and intertwined with each other.
In the AI era, traditional industries are facing changes in intelligence and digitization; in the era of alternating new and old energy sources, new energy sources are gradually becoming the mainstream of the market. Under the convergence of the two trends, the automobile industry is facing a disruptive change. The “Yellow River” heavy truck of China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK ) has witnessed the changes of the times.
In 1960, China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK ) manufactured China’s first 8-ton truck “Yellow River JN150” by hand, ending the history of China’s inability to produce heavy-duty vehicles.
Until September 16, 2020, the “Yellow River” once again made a strong voice of the times. After two years of research and development, China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK ) released a new generation of independently developed “Yellow River” heavy truck.
The new-generation “Yellow River” is mainly targeted at the high-end mainline logistics tractor market. The researchers of China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK ) independently researched and designed the streamlined shape, and then carried out 52 rounds of optimization and improvement, and the wind resistance coefficient of the “Yellow River” heavy truck was certified by four major domestic and international authoritative institutions, which is the lowest among the world’s mass-produced heavy-duty trucks.
The wind resistance coefficient directly affects the fuel consumption of the vehicle. According to the research of foreign research institutions, about half of the horsepower and fuel consumption of trucks at 88 kilometers per hour should be used to overcome the wind resistance. According to the test results of China National Heavy Duty Truck, according to the average speed of 85km/h, annual mileage of 300,000 kilometers, 10% reduction in fuel consumption, each vehicle can save 50,000 yuan to 60,000 yuan throughout the year. Users purchase trucks to invest and make money, which becomes an important weight to attract users.
The product reflects the strategy of the enterprise. China National Heavy Duty Truck Corporation (SINOTRUK ) has also realized the adjustment of industrial focus from dump trucks to tractor trucks by reinventing the new “Yellow River” and so on. In the era of real estate and infrastructure development, dump trucks, which are mainly used for transporting soil and engineering materials, have become a hot spot in the market. During this period, China National Heavy Duty Truck Corporation (SINOTRUK ) accounted for more than 20% of dump truck production.
However, Tan Xuguang predicted that the era of large-scale infrastructure construction was coming to an end, and with the arrival of the internal circulation era, bulk materials and consumer goods would become the main body of logistics transportation. China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK ) has adjusted its product structure in advance – shifting to tractor trucks for transporting bulk materials and trucks for consumer goods, so as to reshape the new “Yellow River” and focus on “Shanteka”.
According to the statistics, by the end of 2023, China National Heavy Duty Truck Corporation (SINOTRUK ) will increase its sales volume from 10% to 24.1%, while dump trucks will decrease from 20% to 14.3%.
At a time when new and old energy sources are alternating, the heavy truck industry is also facing a shift from traditional diesel to new energy sources such as natural gas and hydrogen. This has also become the main focus of China National Heavy Duty Truck’s kinetic energy renewal.
As each liter of natural gas is 3 yuan lower than the price of diesel, natural gas heavy trucks can save 1 yuan of revenue for every 1 kilometer of driving. According to the mileage calculation of 150,000 kilometers/year for each heavy truck, the owner can save 150,000 yuan more.
As a result, natural gas heavy trucks have ushered in a market explosion in recent years. According to the data released by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the sales of natural gas heavy trucks reached 152,000 units in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 307%. The market share of high-horsepower natural gas heavy trucks in China will grow from 17% in 2022 to 47% in 2023.
China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK ), with the support of Weichai, launched a new generation of natural gas heavy trucks in a short time. According to Yi Pei, executive deputy manager of marketing planning at China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK )’s brand and market management department, this is due to the full release of internal synergies after the reorganization of Shandong Heavy Industry and SINOTRUK . In the reform, the front-end technology and back-end marketing teams of China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK ) are working in synergy; at the level of the whole group, the technical teams of Weichai, which is in the upstream of the industry, and SINOTRUK , which is in the downstream, are also working in a complementary manner, conducting joint R&D, and grasping market opportunities.
In November 2022, the thermal efficiency of Weichai’s natural gas engine (referring to the proportion of fuel combustion energy converted into effective engine output without relying on the waste heat recovery device) exceeded 54.16%, setting a global industry record, and allowing the thermal efficiency of natural gas engine to surpass that of diesel engine for the first time.
This technical advantage of Weichai also helps China National Heavy Duty Truck (SINOTRUK ) to quickly develop new products and form market competitiveness at the terminal. According to statistics, China National Heavy Duty Truck snatched 30.3% of the market share in 2023, when the natural gas heavy truck market was on fire.
