China's Tractor Truck Sales Up 27% in May

China's tractor truck market cooled in May after two consecutive months of sales exceeding 50,000 units. Although monthly sales declined from April, demand remained well above last year's level, while new energy vehicles remained a key growth segment.

According to compulsory traffic insurance registration data, excluding exports and military vehicles, domestic tractor truck sales totaled 42,100 units in May, down 23% month on month but up 27% year on year. Sales were nearly 9,000 units higher than a year earlier.

The segment continued to outperform the broader heavy-duty truck market, which recorded a 19% year-on-year increase in May. Tractor trucks accounted for 55.86% of all heavy-duty truck sales, compared with 59.10% in April.

Despite the monthly slowdown, May recorded the strongest tractor truck sales for the month in the past five years. The result was well above the 2022-2025 May average of 26,700 units. Despite the seasonal slowdown, May's sales remained the highest for the month in the past five years.

FAW Jiefang remained the market leader with sales of 8,193 units, followed by Sinotruk with 7,851 units. Foton ranked third with 5,418 units, while Dongfeng and XCMG completed the top five with 4,210 and 3,947 units, respectively.

Shaanxi Auto, SANY Heavy Truck and Farizon followed with 3,884, 3,159 and 1,528 units.All other manufacturers sold fewer than 1,000 units.

Most major manufacturers reported year-on-year growth. SANY Heavy Truck, Farizon and CAMC United Heavy Truck recorded year-on-year growth of 118%, 230% and 121%, respectively, while Sinotruk and XCMG posted increases of 31% and 84%.

China's Top 10 Tractor Truck Manufacturers by Retail Sales (January–May 2026)

The top ten manufacturers represented 94.4% of total market sales in May. FAW Jiefang and Sinotruk held market shares of 19.5% and 18.6%, followed by Foton (12.9%), Dongfeng (10.0%), XCMG (9.4%) and Shaanxi Auto (9.2%).XCMG returned to the top five, while SANY moved closer to the top tier of the market as new energy tractor trucks continued to gain popularity.

For the January-May period, domestic tractor truck sales reached 188,700 units, up 22% from a year earlier.

Eight of the top ten manufacturers recorded year-on-year growth in cumulative sales. XCMG, SANY Heavy Truck and CAMC United Heavy Truck posted the strongest gains, rising 67%, 51% and 119%, respectively. Sinotruk, Foton, Farizon and BAIC Heavy Truck also posted cumulative growth above the market average.

FAW Jiefang remained the market leader during the first five months with a 24.3% market share, followed by Sinotruk at 19.8%. XCMG, Foton, Sinotruk and SANY all increased their market shares compared with the same period last year, with XCMG and Foton recording the largest gains.

Electrification remained the market's strongest growth driver. New energy tractor trucks, including battery-electric, fuel cell and hybrid models, accounted for 37.12% of total sales during January-May, while battery-electric vehicles alone represented 36.76%, up 8.24 percentage points from a year earlier. The share of natural gas models remained broadly stable, whereas diesel- and methanol-powered trucks continued to lose ground.

All of the top twelve tractor truck manufacturers sold new energy vehicles during the period, and six derived more than 90% of their tractor truck sales from new energy models. XCMG, SANY and Foton were among the companies benefiting most from the rapid expansion of the segment.

Although monthly sales softened in May, cumulative demand remained strong through the first five months of 2026. With new energy vehicles accounting for more than 35% of the market, electrification is becoming an increasingly important factor shaping competition in China's tractor truck industry.