Unlike Chinese vehicles and imported vehicles in the passenger car market, China's truck market is dominated by Chinese vehicles. Based on factors such as price and road condition matching, the current proportion of imported trucks in the Chinese market is still relatively small.
However, the demand in the Chinese truck market will eventually reach saturation, and many car companies have also made preparations. One is to use quality and sales to stabilize their local position, and the other is to expand overseas markets—exports.
First exporting country: Jordan
As for the definition of export standards, I think it should wait for the product to mature before exporting it. But after reading the information, I found that the first export of Chinese trucks was as early as the birth of the first truck in New China.
Jiefang CA10, the first truck in New China, was born on July 13, 1956, and appeared at the 2nd China Export Commodities Fair in October of the following year. At the meeting, Mr. Bita, Chairman of Jordan Overseas Trade, ordered 3 Jiefang CA10s from us, becoming the first foreign customer of China's Chinese trucks.
It is proud that this is also the first export in the history of Chinese automobiles, and it seems that Chinese trucks are not unpopular from the beginning.
However, for a long time after that, the overall export level of Chinese trucks has been tending to be low. It really started to develop after China joined the WTO (World Trade Organization) in 2001.
Main positions: Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America
Today, the development of the export trade of Chinese trucks has basically matured, and a market layout dominated by Asia and Africa, supplemented by Latin America and Europe has been formed.
As the saying goes, business starts with acquaintances first, and Southeast Asia, which is also Asia, is the first region where China's trucks go abroad to achieve phased victories. It is reported that nearly half of Vietnam's truck market is owned by our country, and together with Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Malaysia and other countries, it accounts for about 60% of China's total truck exports.
The number of trucks exported to Africa accounts for more than 20% of the total, which is the second largest export area of trucks in my country, and is mainly distributed in Angola, Algeria, Nigeria, Tanzania, Morocco, Ghana and other countries. In addition, affected by national conditions and economic factors, second-hand Chinese trucks have a wide market in Africa.
The remaining less than 20% of the share is divided into Latin America and Europe. Among them, Latin America is a new market for Chinese trucks formed in recent years, accounting for 15%, representing countries such as Chile, Ecuador, and Argentina; while Europe's own auto industry is already very developed, and it is difficult for Chinese trucks to gain a foothold there. Currently, it is mainly exported to Russia.
As for why these countries are the main exporters of Chinese trucks? Well understood.
From a geographical point of view, Southeast Asia is adjacent to China and has certain export convenience. The transportation environment and transportation needs are similar. In addition, there are many Chinese in Southeast Asia, and trade interactions are frequent, so the demand will naturally not be small; from the perspective of economic construction, China The aid program to Africa and various infrastructure projects of the “Belt and Road” have also brought new opportunities for Chinese trucks to develop overseas markets, especially the demand for construction vehicles and tractors.
On the other hand, most of these countries are less developed in economy and industry, and Chinese trucks are cost-effective, excellent in performance, and durable in construction, which just fits their needs.
There are many export brands, and Sinotruk accounts for half
Regarding the export of truck brands, there is a saying in the industry that "half is heavy truck, half is other". Indeed, SINOTRUK began to deploy overseas markets in 2004, taking the lead in cutting the cake, and has achieved the proud record of 17 consecutive export championships. Heavy trucks can be seen everywhere in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Eritrea and other countries in Africa.
If Africa is the world of Sinotruk, then Southeast Asia is definitely the rivers and lakes of Foton.
In Vietnam, the market share of Foton trucks can reach 30%-35%, and the sales in the Philippines, Myanmar and Thailand are also considerable. At the same time, on March 18 this year, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) came into effect for Malaysia, which will be beneficial for Foton to further develop the Southeast Asian market.
In addition, Jiefang, Shaanxi Automobile, Dongfeng, and Jianghuai also have good results in export trade, and they are mainly oriented to markets such as South Africa, Iran, Chile, and Russia.
Of course, with the continuous development of the national economy, more and more car companies are expanding their overseas business, and the areas they cover are getting wider and wider. Here are just a few representative car companies and countries.
Breaking through the cocoon and moving forward under the post-epidemic
According to data from the Customs and the China Automobile Association, in 2018, my country exported a total of 206,307 trucks, a year-on-year decrease of 1.7%; in 2019, a total of 213,597 vehicles were exported, a year-on-year increase of 3.5%; in 2020, a total of 195,264 trucks were exported, a year-on-year decrease of 8.6%; 367,782 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 88%.
It can be seen that due to the impact of the epidemic, the export volume of China's trucks has declined in 2020, and in 2021, when the epidemic has eased, the export volume of China's trucks has increased significantly and hit a new high in the past 10 years.
On the one hand, because the epidemic has eased economic recovery, logistics operations, and projects have resumed work, the demand for trucks in some countries has surged; on the other hand, trucks are a rigid demand in the freight market. Even if there is an epidemic, they still need to undertake the responsibility of transporting epidemic prevention and living materials. , so the impact on the demand side is only temporary.
However, now that 2022 is just over halfway through, most countries in my country and abroad have once again suffered a counterattack from the epidemic, and even more frightening monkeypox has appeared in some countries.
It can also be guessed that if the situation eases in the second half of the year, the export volume of China's trucks in 2022 will basically not be affected. On the contrary, there will be a slight decline.
Although people's comments on Chinese trucks are mixed, it is an indisputable fact that Chinese trucks have been recognized by foreign friends from the accelerating pace of Chinese trucks entering overseas markets in recent years. We should also recognize from the bottom of our hearts: Chinese trucks are also excellent!