China Heavy Truck Sales Jump 25% in March as Market Rebounds

China’s heavy truck market posted a strong rebound in March 2026, supported by seasonal demand during the the traditional peak sales season in March.

Heavy truck sales reached 138,900 units in March, up 25% year-on-year, reversing a 10% decline recorded in February.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, total truck sales in China — including chassis and tractor units — stood at 440,000 units in March, rising 83% month-on-month and 12% year-on-year.

Within this total, heavy trucks saw a sharp 89% increase from February, highlighting a strong recovery in demand.

Near-Decade High Performance

March sales ranked among the strongest in recent years.


Over the past decade, average March heavy truck sales stood at around 125,000 units. The March 2026 figure of 138,900 units ranks joint third (with 2018), behind only 2021 and 2019. It is also the highest level seen in the past five years.

In the first quarter of 2026, cumulative heavy truck sales reached 317,900 units, up 20% year-on-year — an increase of about 52,900 units. This marks the highest first-quarter total in five years and the only time in that period to exceed 300,000 units.

Market Leaders Maintain Dominance

The number of manufacturers selling over 10,000 units remained unchanged at five.

Sinotruk led the market with 35,900 units.

FAW Jiefang, Dongfeng Motor Corporation, and Shaanxi Automobile followed, each exceeding 20,000 units.

Foton Motor ranked fifth with 19,500 units.

Market concentration remained high. The top 10 manufacturers accounted for 97.3% of total sales, while the top five held a combined 90.4% share. Individual shares among the top five ranged from 14.0% to 25.8%, with shares of 25.8%, 18.0%, 16.6%, 16.0% and 14.0%, respectively..

XCMG ranked sixth with 4,300 units.

Other players, including Geely Farizon, Chery Automobile, JAC Motors, and Beijing Heavy Truck, with shares ranging from 0.8% to 1.3%.

Diverging Growth Among Manufacturers

Performance varied widely across manufacturers.

Nine of the top 10 companies recorded year-on-year growth in March, while one reported a decline of 25%.

Foton Motor, XCMG, Geely Farizon, Chery, and Beijing Heavy Truck outperformed the market, posting growth rates of 31%, 46%, 39%, 236%, and 33%, respectively.

Other major players, including Sinotruk, FAW Jiefang, Dongfeng, and Shaanxi Automobile, also delivered double-digit gains.

In terms of ranking changes, Chery re-entered the top 10, climbing to eighth place. Dongfeng moved up to third, while JAC rose to ninth. while leading players such as Sinotruk, FAW Jiefang, Foton, XCMG and Geely Farizon maintained their positions.

First-Quarter Growth Accelerates

From January to March, heavy truck sales rose 20% year-on-year, with growth accelerating by 3 percentage points compared with the end of February.

Sinotruk maintained its lead with 87,000 units and a 27.4% market share.

FAW Jiefang, Shaanxi Automobile, Dongfeng, and Foton followed, each holding double-digit shares.

XCMG ranked sixth, while Geely Farizon, Chery, JAC, and Leichi completed the top 10, each with less than 1.5% share.

Among leading manufacturers, Foton, XCMG, Chery, and Geely Farizon led growth, with increases of 39%, 52%, 50%, and 37%, respectively. Sinotruk, Shaanxi Automobile, and Dongfeng also posted solid gains.

Only one company recorded a decline in cumulative sales, down 24%.

Outlook: Momentum Faces Next Test

Industry concentration continued to rise in the first quarter, with the top 10 accounting for 97.7% of sales.

Several manufacturers, including Dongfeng, Foton, XCMG, Geely Farizon, Leichi, and Chery, expanded their market share. Foton posted the largest increase, gaining 1.9 percentage points.

Overall, the heavy truck market delivered strong growth in March and the first quarter.

With April also typically a peak sales month, the key question for the market is whether this growth momentum can be sustained.