[First Commercial Vehicle Network Original]

September 4, BAIC Foton Motor Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Foton Motor") released a quick report on production and sales data for August. In August 2026, Foton Motor sales of various automobile products exceeded 50,000 vehicles, firmly ranking first in the industry; Jan-Aug, cumulative sales reached 463,000 vehicles, up 9% year-on-year.

With only 4 months remaining, cumulative sales for the year have already exceeded 460,000 vehicles. This means that as long as the next 4 months perform normally, the highest sales record since the 14th Five-Year Plan will surely be broken, and there is a very strong possibility of creating a new "highest in history" annual sales record for itself.

Please refer to the analysis and interpretation by First Commercial Vehicle Network.

Cumulative sales in the first 8 months exceed 460,000 vehicles, all sectors work together to create a new annual sales record

Foton Motor's August production and sales data quick report shows that from Jan-Aug 2026, cumulative sales of various automobiles reached 463,000 vehicles, up 9% year-on-year. All major business sectors delivered growth report cards: New Energy Vehicles cumulative sales 82,000 vehicles, up 25% year-on-year; Medium and Heavy Trucks cumulative sales 127,000 vehicles, up 30% year-on-year; Light Trucks cumulative sales 303,000 vehicles, up 3.4% year-on-year.

First Commercial Vehicle Network notes that after August, Foton Motor's 2026 cumulative sales have exceeded 460,000 vehicles. This figure is very close to the first 9 months sales of 2025 and the first 10 months sales of 2024 (as shown below).

From the chart above, it can also be seen that starting from January, Foton Motor's 2026 cumulative sales have always been higher than 2025 and the same period in 2024. After August, cumulative sales net growth approached 40,000 vehicles. According to First Commercial Vehicle Network's conservative estimate (estimated based on sales of the same period last year), Foton Motor's cumulative sales this year will exceed 680,000 vehicles, with a very strong possibility of creating a new annual sales record.

The "highest in history" sales volume that will be reached in 2026 is the result of the joint promotion of Foton Motor's business sectors throughout the year, among which exports and new energy are the two most prominent "engines".

From "Product Going Global" to "System Going Global", 200,000 vehicle target expected to be completed early

Since 2026, Foton Motor's export business is no longer simple "selling cars", but has achieved a strategic leap from "Product Going Global" to "System Going Global" through market breakthroughs, sales booms, product upgrades, and systematic operations, and has become one of the core engines pulling the company's performance growth. In August, Foton Motor complete vehicle exports exceeded 20,000 vehicles, up 39% year-on-year; Jan-Aug cumulative exports nearly 150,000 vehicles, up 44.3% year-on-year. Export structure continues to optimize, and the proportion of high value-added products such as heavy trucks and new energy models continues to rise.

In important overseas markets such as Africa, the Americas, Southeast Asia, and Europe, Foton Motor has had excellent performance this year: In February, Africa's largest industrial group Dangote Group visited and signed logistics transport orders of over 1,000 vehicles; In March, nearly 100 Foton Cavan Lefu Overseas Edition CAVAN C1 all-electric VANS were shipped from Qingdao Port for batch delivery to EU customers, successfully breaking through barriers in the European high-end market; In the same month, light trucks manufactured at Foton's Thailand production base were delivered to the Indonesian market. This main model customized for Southeast Asian working conditions successfully went off the line, verifying the mature implementation of Foton's "localized production + regional distribution" model; In June, over 100 Auhui 12m high-end buses were batch delivered to South Asia, setting a new record for a single export order of Chinese brand bus coaches locally; In August, 800 Auman heavy trucks were shipped again to the African market in "full convoy delivery" mode, serving local cross-border logistics and trunk transport...

At this year's Brand Day press conference, Foton Motor announced that the overseas exclusive flagship product created based on the Auman Galaxy Smart Native Architecture — Galaxus R9 premium heavy trucks — officially landed in the American market, becoming an important step in its comprehensive internationalization strategy. It is reported that the Galaxus R9 vehicle is equipped with over 90 independent core technologies and 100M Ethernet vehicle architecture, supporting full-domain OTA iteration to achieve vehicle full lifecycle performance evolution. To verify product capabilities, Galaxus R9 heavy trucks once went far to a Spanish extreme test site for benchmark testing according to EU ECE standards and international European-style heavy trucks. In high-speed cruising high-frequency scenarios, Galaxus R9 fuel consumption was 2.16% lower than competitors of the same class. Even in the European market, it is highly competitive.

If the "3040" Medium and Long-term Overseas Strategy of Foton Motor, over 400,000 vehicles in 2030, is still relatively far, the 200,000 vehicle overseas target for 2026 is within reach. After August, Foton Motor's overseas sales target achievement rate reached 75%. This year, the overseas market 200,000 vehicle target is highly likely to be completed ahead of schedule.

Cumulative sales in Jan-Aug exceed 80,000 vehicles, up 25% year-on-year, New Energy Business Booms

Data shows that in August, Foton Motor sold 12,000 new energy products, up 50% year-on-year, higher than the overall industry growth rate; From Jan-Aug this year, Foton Motor cumulative sales of various new energy products reached 82,000 vehicles, up 25% year-on-year.

Looking at the growth rate alone, Foton Motor's new energy product Jan-Aug sales volume up 25% year-on-year does not count as a major increase, but this is based on last year's high-quality same period sales volume and increase rate (Last year Jan-Aug Foton new energy products cumulative sales 65,700 vehicles, up 127% year-on-year). More importantly, the growth of Foton Motor's new energy business this year is not simple quantity expansion, but high-quality development based on technical innovation, scenario deepening, and ecosystem reconstruction.

From the start of the new energy business, Foton Motor has always adhered to pure electric, hybrid, and hydrogen fuel multiple technology routes in parallel, avoiding limiting to a single path. Whether the new energy "30·50 Strategy" or the "Comprehensive New Energy" Strategy, all demonstrate Foton Motor's pragmatism and ambition towards new energy technology routes: Pure electric route pursues core module independent breakthroughs, hybrid route relies on self-developed to achieve multi-platform layout, hydrogen route conducts forward-looking breakthroughs. Foton Motor's strategy of multiple simultaneous approaches aims to meet the new energy needs of commercial vehicle users from city delivery to trunk logistics and all commercial vehicle scenarios.

From the frequent release and launch of new energy new products, Foton Motor is gradually completing its new energy product matrix to cover green transport capacity needs in multiple scenarios more and more comprehensively. Just a few days ago, at this year's Brand Day, Foton Motor launched two strategic-level new energy new products at once: Cavan Star Sea New Energy Flagship Heavy Truck aimed at medium-to-long-distance trunk logistics was officially launched, and Cavan Lefu V7 focusing on high-end passenger transport application scenarios had its global debut, further perfecting the full-scenario green transport capacity matrix. It is worth mentioning that Cavan Lefu V7 integrates passenger car-level intelligent comfort experience and large VAN vehicle space advantages, innovatively defining the MPVan category, precisely matching line passenger transport, tourism and business travel, business reception, leisure travel modification, and other high-end scenarios, filling the gap in the domestic new energy high-end passenger VAN niche market.

After August, Foton new energy products cumulative sales reached 82,000 vehicles, up 25% year-on-year, net growth of about 16,300 vehicles compared to the same period last year. This sales volume has already exceeded the full-year sales in 2024 (54,000 vehicles), with less than 20,000 vehicles gap from last year's full-year sales of 101,200 vehicles. According to the current progress pace, after "Golden September and Silver October", it will exceed last year's full-year sales.

Conclusion

The coming September is the season of harvest, and also the traditional sales peak season of the commercial vehicle industry. What performance will Foton Motor have, especially what more wonderful performance will the exports and new energy business that are gradually becoming Foton Motor's new growth "Dual Engines" have?

[Jaringan Kenderaan Dagangan Pertama - Kandungan Asli]

4 September, Syarikat Foton Motor Beiqi (dikenali sebagai 'Foton Motor' di bawah) telah mengeluarkan data ringkas jualan dan pengeluaran bulan Ogos. Pada Ogos 2026, Foton Motor menjual lebih daripada 50,000 unit pelbagai produk kenderaan, kekal di peringkat teratas industri; dari Januari hingga Ogos, jumlah kumulatif jualan mencapai 463,000 unit, meningkat 9% tahun ke tahun.

Apabila baki 4 bulan tinggal, jumlah jualan kumulatif tahunan melebihi 460,000 unit, bermakna jika 4 bulan seterusnya 'berlaku' secara normal, rekod jualan tertinggi sejak 'Rancangan Lima Tahun Ke-14' pasti pecah, sangat berpotensi mencipta rekod jualan tahunan tertinggi dalam sejarah baharu sendiri.

Sila lihat analisis dan tafsiran Jaringan Kenderaan Dagangan Pertama.

Jualan kumulatif 8 bulan pertama melebihi 463,000 unit, semua sektor bekerjasama mencipta rekod jualan tahunan baharu

Data ringkas jualan dan pengeluaran Foton Motor bulan Ogos menunjukkan, dari Januari hingga Ogos 2026, jumlah kumulatif menjual pelbagai jenis kenderaan sebanyak 463,000 unit, meningkat 9% tahun ke tahun. Semua sektor perniagaan utama telah menghasilkan rekod pertumbuhan: Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu jumlah kumulatif jualan 82,000 unit, meningkat 25%; Kenderaan Berat Sederhana jumlah kumulatif jualan 127,000 unit, meningkat 30%; Lori Ringan jumlah kumulatif jualan 303,000 unit, meningkat 3.4%.

Jaringan Kenderaan Dagangan Pertama perhatikan, selepas Ogos, jumlah jualan kumulatif Foton Motor 2026 telah melebihi 460,000 unit, angka ini sudah sangat hampir dengan 9 bulan pertama 2025 dan 10 bulan pertama 2024 (seperti di bawah).

Dari gambar di atas juga boleh dilihat, dari Januari, jumlah jualan kumulatif Foton Motor 2026 sentiasa lebih tinggi daripada 2025 dan 2024 pada tempoh yang sama, selepas Ogos jumlah jualan kumulatif bersih meningkat hampir 40,000 unit. Mengikut taksiran konservatif Jaringan Kenderaan Dagangan Pertama (dengan penaksiran jualan tempoh sama tahun lalu), jumlah jualan kumulatif Foton Motor tahun ini akan melebihi 680,000 unit, sangat berpotensi mencipta rekod jualan tahunan baharu.

"Paling Tinggi dalam Sejarah" jualan yang bakal dicapai 2026, adalah hasil usaha semua sektor perniagaan Foton tahun ini, manakala yang paling menonjol adalah Eksport dan Tenaga Baharu dua 'enjin'.

Dari 'Produk Melintas Laut' ke 'Sistem Melintas Laut', sasaran 200,000 unit berpotensi selesai awal

Sejak 2026, perniagaan eksport Foton Motor bukan lagi 'jualan kereta' mudah, tetapi melalui突破 pasaran, letupan jualan, pengemaskinian produk dan operasi berstruktur, telah mencapai lompatan strategik dari 'Produk Melintas Laut' ke 'Sistem Melintas Laut', dan telah menjadi salah satu enjin utama memacu pertumbuhan prestasi syarikat. Bulan Ogos, eksport kenderaan lengkap Foton Motor melebihi 20,000 unit, meningkat 39%; Januari-Ogos jumlah eksport hampir 150,000 unit, meningkat 44.3%, struktur eksport berterusan dioptimumkan, produk bernilai tambah tinggi seperti Truk Berat Auman dan Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu semakin meningkat.

Dalam pasaran luar negara penting seperti Afrika, Amerika, Asia Tenggara dan Eropah, Foton Motor tahun ini mempunyai prestasi tidak kurang: Februari, Kumpulan Dangote, kumpulan industri terbesar Afrika, melawat dan menandatangani tempahan pengangkutan logistik melebihi 1,000 unit; Mac, hampir 100 unit Cavan Lovu海外版 CAVAN C1 elektrik VAN dari Pelabuhan Qingdao dihantar, secara berjenama diserahkan kepada pelanggan EU, berjaya menembusi halangan pasaran Eropah bertaraf tinggi; pada bulan sama, Lori Ringan yang dihasilkan oleh kilang Thailand Foton diserahkan ke pasaran Indonesia, kenderaan utama ini yang dikembangkan khas untuk keadaan kerja Asia Tenggara berjaya turun dari talian, membuktikan kematuhan model Foton 'Pengeluaran Tempatan + Pengedaran Kawasan'; Jun, lebih 100 unit Bas Mewah 12 Meter Ouhui diserahkan secara berjenama ke Asia Selatan, memecahkan rekod tempahan eksport tunggal bas basikal jenama Cina tempatan; Ogos, 800 unit Truk Berat Auman sekali lagi dihantar ke pasaran Afrika dengan model 'Serahan Berbaris', melayani logistik lintas negara dan pengangkutan laluan utama di tempatan……

Dalam penganjuran Hari Jenama tahun ini, Foton Motor mengumumkan produk terhad eksport yang dibina berdasarkan arkitektur asli pintar Auman Galaxy iaitu Galaxus R9 truk berat bertaraf tinggi telah rasmi memasuki pasaran Amerika, menjadi langkah penting strategik antarabangsa sepenuhnya. Menurut penerangan, Galaxus R9 dilengkapi dengan lebih 90 teknologi teras bebas dan arkitektur Ethernet 100 Megabit, menyokong pembaharuan OTA seluruh domain, mencapai evolusi prestasi kitaran hidup kenderaan. Untuk menguji kekuatan produk, Galaxus R9 pernah ke tapak ujian ekstrim Sepanyol, mengikut piawaian EU ECE dan truk berat Eropah antarabangsa untuk uji banding. Dalam situasi frekuensi tinggi penyelaras kelajuan tinggi, penggunaan minyak Galaxus R9 2.16% lebih rendah daripada pesanding setaraf, walaupun di pasaran EU, sangat kompetitif.

Jika sasaran eksport 400,000 unit pada 2030 strategik luar negara jangka panjang dan menengah "3040" Foton Motor masih agak jauh, tetapi sasaran eksport 200,000 unit 2026 sangat dekat. Setelah Ogos, kadar pencapaian sasaran jualan luar negara Foton adalah 75%, sasaran eksport luar negara tahun ini kemungkinan besar akan selesai awal.

Jualan kumulatif Januari-Ogos melebihi 82,000 unit, meningkat 25%, perniagaan Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu sangat hebat

Data menunjukkan, bulan Ogos, Foton Motor menjual produk Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu 12,000 unit, meningkat 50%, lebih tinggi daripada kadar peningkatan keseluruhan industri; tahun ini Januari-Ogos, Foton Motor jumlah kumulatif menjual pelbagai jenis produk Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu 82,000 unit, meningkat 25%.

Berdasarkan kadar peningkatan, jualan Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu Foton Motor Januari-Ogos meningkat 25% tahun ke tahun, belum boleh dikategorikan peningkatan besar, tetapi ini dibina di atas jualan tempoh sama berkualiti tinggi dan peningkatan tahun lalu (tahun lalu Januari-Ogos Foton produk Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu jumlah jualan kumulatif 65,700 unit, meningkat 127% tahun ke tahun). Yang lebih penting, perniagaan Foton Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu tahun ini peningkatan bukan sekadar peluasan kuantiti, intinya adalah pembangunan berkualiti tinggi yang dibina di atas inovasi teknologi, pengembangan skenario mendalam dan penyusunan semula ekosistem.

Sejak perniagaan Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu bermula, Foton Motor sentiasa kekal pada laluan teknologi pelbagai Elektrik Tulen, Hibrid, Bahan Api Hidrogen, tidak membuat pilihan tunggal. Sama ada Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu 'Strategi 30·50', atau 'Pengenuan Tenaga Baharu Penuh' strategik tiada tidak menunjukkan ambisi dan realistik Foton Motor pada laluan teknologi Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu: Laluan Elektrik Tulen mengejar pencapaian modul teras bebas, laluan Hibrid bergantung pada pengembangan sendiri untuk penempatan berbilang platform, laluan Hidrogen melakukan penyelidikan proaktif. Strategi pelbagai pendekatan Foton Motor ini, bertujuan untuk memenuhi keperluan Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu pengguna kenderaan dagangan dari penghantaran bandar sehingga logistik laluan utama semua skenario kenderaan dagangan.

Dari pelancaran rapat dan Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu baharu yang dilancarkan, Foton Motor secara berperingkat melengkapkan matriks produk Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu, untuk semakin merangkumi keperluan kapasiti pengangkutan hijau pelbagai skenario. Beberapa hari sebelum ini, Foton Motor pada Hari Jenama tahun ini sekali推出 dua produk Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu strategik: Cavan Xinghai Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu truk berat terkemuka yang menjangkau logistik laluan utama jarak sederhana dan jauh rasmi dilancarkan, Cavan Lovu V7 yang fokus pada skenario pengangkutan penumpang premium perdana, melengkapkan lagi matriks kapasiti pengangkutan hijau skenario penuh. Perlu disebutkan, Cavan Lovu V7 menggabungkan pengalaman selesa pintar tahap kenderaan personel dan kelebihan ruang model VAN besar, secara inovatif mendefinisikan MPVan kategori baharu ini, padanan tepat pengangkutan laluan, perlancongan perniagaan, penerimaan perniagaan, modifikasi pelancongan skenario premium, mengisi kekangan pasaran tertumpu Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu pengangkutan penumpang premium VAN dalam negara.

Selepas Ogos, jumlah kumulatif jualan produk Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu Foton 82,000 unit, meningkat 25% tahun ke tahun, bersih meningkat kira-kira 16,300 unit berbanding tempoh sama tahun lalu. Jualan ini melebihi jualan sepanjang tahun 2024 (54,000 unit), hanya berjarak kurang daripada 20,000 unit dari jualan sepanjang tahun tahun lalu 101,200 unit, mengikut irak pertumbuhan semasa, selepas 'Musim Puncak Jualan September dan Oktober' akan melebihi jualan sepanjang tahun tahun lalu.

Kesimpulan

September seterusnya, adalah musim menuai, juga musim puncak jualan tradisi industri kenderaan dagangan, Foton Motor mempunyai prestasi seperti apa, terutamanya semakin menjadi 'Dua Enjin Baharu' pertumbuhan Foton Motor perniagaan Eksport dan Kenderaan Tenaga Baharu mempunyai prestasi yang lebih menarik?

The global commercial vehicle industry is approaching a critical turning point for deep restructuring towards electrification, intelligence, and low carbonization. Relying on strict access regulations, a mature business environment, and diverse transportation scenarios, Europe has become the top-tier arena for measuring the comprehensive strength of commercial vehicle enterprises. China's commercial vehicle overseas expansion has long since bid farewell to the initial stage of simple product output, moving towards an era of systematic competition characterized by technology output, localized operations, and co-construction of industrial ecosystems.

With over 20 years of deep cultivation overseas, Foton Motor has ranked first in China's commercial vehicle exports for 15 consecutive years. From early "going out" of products to today's comprehensive entry into the "going in, going steady, and going far" Globalization 3.0 new stage, Foton Motor has achieved a leapfrog transformation from scale overseas expansion to value overseas expansion, building a complete overseas expansion system with synergy in products, technology, manufacturing, supply chains, and service ecosystems.

On the technology level, Foton Motor holds the key to overseas market access. Multiple all-electric light trucks and VAN products have obtained WVTA European whole vehicle type certification, won VECTO heavy-duty vehicle carbon emission certification, and secured the entry ticket to the European high-end market; Cawin new energy products are accelerating landing in 15 European countries and high-potential markets like Australia & New Zealand, converting domestic new energy technology advantages into global green transportation supply capabilities.

On the manufacturing and supply chain end, 32 overseas localized factories are distributed across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East; a joint supply chain company was established with COSCO Shipping Specialized Transport, opening exclusive overseas capacity channels; key factories in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are accelerating landing, driving domestic supply chain partners to go overseas together, building a global industrial network with risk resistance and high efficiency. In the European locality, the Germany Unna regional parts distribution center RDC was put into operation, combined with 18 global parts centers, 1,200+ sales outlets, and 1,500+ service outlets, building a 24-hour parts guarantee system, achieving fast local response for European after-sales. In January-August 2026, Foton Motor export sales reached 149,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 44.3%, and systematic strength was directly verified by the market.

On September 14, at the Hanover IAA Auto Show, Foton Motor is set for a major debut. The site will unveil a new European strategy, hold the milestone ceremony for the delivery of the world's 13 millionth vehicle, and premiere the Cawin BEACON smart heavy truck capable of electric and hydrogen fuel overseas. The exhibition will also display seven major new energy vehicle matrices and six self-developed core components, covering multiple mainstream transportation scenarios in Europe, showcasing hard technology strength with full-chain autonomy and controllability.

Not just an exhibition of products, but a centralized review of systematic overseas expansion capabilities. When the world looks towards Europe, Europe will see Foton. On September 14 in Hanover, let us jointly witness the brand new answer to the globalization of China's commercial vehicles.

This is the best of times, this is the worst of times.

Recently, the China Association of Automobile Dealers released some worrying data. The auto dealer inventory warning index for April stood at 62.1%, above the growth and decline line; meanwhile, the inventory coefficient is also rising, with the integrated inventory coefficient for auto dealers in April reaching 1.89. Industry insiders point out that long-term high inventory will encroach on dealers' operating funds, increase their interest expenses and liquidity risks, and may exacerbate the contradiction between dealers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Coincidentally, it is not just passenger cars that have been hit hard. The latest data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers has also sounded a warning for the commercial vehicle industry—its overall inventory coefficient has risen above the warning line of 1.8, and the inventory cycle in some heavy truck market segments has exceeded 90 days. To digest inventory, a new round of price wars has quietly broken out in multiple regions, with terminal discount margins expanding again.

As a media outlet that has long focused on the automotive industry, Car Culture saw a historical mirror spanning 170 years in this spreading price competition—In 1854, the 'Coketown' dominated by interests written by Charles Dickens in 'Hard Times' has never truly disappeared.

As the global automotive industry accelerates its transformation towards new energy and intelligence, and Chinese automakers head to the global market at an unprecedented speed, ESG construction has long ceased to be a dispensable decoration in corporate annual reports; it is now a core capability determining whether an enterprise can weather the cycle. Among them, supply chain ESG is the key chain connecting the upstream and downstream of the industry, determining the health of the sector. In the current situation where the industry generally falls into the vicious cycle of 'trading price for volume', the sustainability report released by Foton Motor for 2025 provides a sample worthy of in-depth analysis for us to observe how Chinese commercial vehicle enterprises solve the inherent contradictions of industrial civilization.

The Reenactment of Dickensian History and Foton's Starting Point for Breakthrough

In classic works such as 'Hard Times', 'Oliver Twist', and 'David Copperfield', Dickens recorded the three core contradictions at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution with a pen that was almost journalistic documentary. Among them, in 'Hard Times', the factory owners in Coketown, in pursuit of profit maximization, alienated workers into attachments of machines, revealing the value distortion caused by capital's pursuit of profit; in 'Oliver Twist', the tragic fate of children from the lower classes exposed the reality that the dignity of workers was systematically ignored; the experience of 10-year-old David being exploited in the bottle washing factory in 'David Copperfield' reflected the cruel logic of cost pressure being transmitted unidirectionally downward in early supply chains.

These contradictions from 170 years ago still have clear projections in today's automotive industry. Taking the commercial vehicle industry discussed in this session as an example, from 2024 to 2025, the price war in the commercial vehicle market continued to escalate, with terminal price reductions for models in some market segments exceeding 10%. To maintain its own profits, some leading automotive enterprises directly transferred cost reduction pressure to upstream suppliers, requesting annual price reductions of more than 10%.

The result of this pressure being transmitted layer by layer is that the average profit margin of traditional non-core component enterprises was compressed to below 3%, with a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises struggling on the brink of break-even; downstream channel ends were also under pressure. Data from the China Association of Automobile Dealers shows that in 2025, the loss-making rate of commercial vehicle dealers nationwide reached 52.6%, with a profit contribution of -22.3% for new car sales business; while truck drivers at the end of the supply chain bore the pressure of continuously falling freight prices, with freight rates for some short-distance city distribution routes falling to 0.8 yuan/km, and the average freight rate for medium-to-long distance trunk transport dropping 42% compared to 2020.

This model of 'squeezing profits upstream, pressing prices downstream, and being squeezed at the terminal' is eroding the long-term competitiveness of the entire industry. Of course, Foton Motor is also in this industry environment. Its overseas exports in 2025 reached 164,000 vehicles, creating a new historical high, but it also faced multiple challenges such as the EU CBAM carbon tariff and increasingly strict supply chain ESG reviews in European and American markets; during the new energy transformation process, the industry average cost proportion of the three-electric systems exceeded 40%, and also faced cost reduction pressure.

But unlike most enterprises, Foton Motor did not choose to transfer pressure unidirectionally to the upstream and downstream of the supply chain, but instead took the construction of the whole chain ESG as the core handle for breaking the situation, attempting to explore a more sustainable development path.

Foton's Practice: Responding to Historical Propositions with Win-Win of the Whole Value Chain

The contemporary value of Dickens' works lies in the fact that it always reminds us that the ultimate purpose of development is people, not profit. The whole value chain ESG system built by Foton Motor, covering 'upstream suppliers-middle manufacturing-downstream dealers-terminal users', just responds to the three core propositions raised by Dickens back then.

To address the value distortion caused by capital's pursuit of profit, Foton constructs a symbiotic supply chain through green synergy. It is reported that the company established a supplier lifecycle ESG management system, incorporating environmental, social, and governance indicators into the entire process of supplier access, audit, evaluation, and exit. In 2025, Foton completed the certification of 58 green suppliers, covering core modules such as engines, gearboxes, and axles.

Unlike simply suppressing purchase prices, Foton helps suppliers reduce costs and increase efficiency through technical empowerment and resource sharing. Among them, the supplier rooftop photovoltaic plan is the most representative. In 2025, it assisted 283 suppliers in building a total of 1,901 MW of photovoltaic power generation facilities, directly reducing the energy costs of partners, while also promoting the low-carbon transformation of the entire supply chain.

To address the imbalance of benefit distribution in the supply chain, Foton creates a community of interests through ecological empowerment. Faced with the survival dilemma faced by dealers, Foton completed transformation training for 1,658 dealers in 2025, innovatively launched a three-level channel system of 'Ecological Store, Smart Store, Retail Store', and built 8 dealer ecological ports.

This system helped dealers transform from a single vehicle sales dealer to a comprehensive service provider integrating 'sales + charging and battery swapping + used cars + leasing + maintenance and repair', opening up multiple profit channels for them. At the same time, Foton signed 'Integrity Commitment Letters' with all suppliers, establishing a relatively fair and transparent cooperation mechanism, guaranteeing the reasonable interests of each link in the supply chain.

In addition, to address the lack of dignity for workers, Foton permeates humanistic care throughout the whole chain. Within the enterprise, Foton implements a human engineering improvement plan, introducing customized effort-saving mechanical arms and hydraulic lifting tables in heavy labor posts such as tire assembly and battery installation, reducing manual handling of heavy materials by 30% year-on-year.

At the supply chain end, Foton requires all suppliers to strictly abide by labor laws and regulations, with full coverage of compliance and quality training for key suppliers in 2025 reaching 100%. At the terminal, Foton supported the 'Truck Driver Escort' special action through donations, focusing on the living conditions of logistics practitioners. These measures reflect the enterprise's respect for every worker in the supply chain.

People-Oriented, The Correct Approach for Chinese Cars Going Global

In fact, with Chinese automotive enterprises accelerating their global layout, we are facing not just a competitive pattern of 'price is king', but entering a new era where 'compliance is competitiveness'.

The EU 'Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive' (CSDDD) clearly requires that enterprises must be responsible for human rights and environmental impacts of their entire supply chain; violators will face fines of up to 5% of global turnover; the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) officially implemented in 2026 directly incorporates carbon emission costs into the price system of imported goods. This means the development model relying on low-cost expansion is unsustainable, and supply chain ESG capabilities are becoming the pass to enter the international market for Chinese automotive enterprises.

Foton Motor's forward-looking layout has given it a certain head start in global competition. It is reported that through the construction of a whole value chain ESG, Foton proactively met the compliance requirements of major overseas markets: in Europe, Foton's electric light trucks and VAN models obtained WVTAEU whole vehicle type certification, which is one of the highest thresholds in the European market; plus the EU heavy vehicle carbon emission VECTO certification, this means Foton's carbon data has been recognized by European regulatory agencies, successfully entering the European green transportation system.

In addition, Foton Motor has deeply gained the recognition of global partners: local factories in Thailand, Brazil, and South Africa have been put into production smoothly; the global 12 millionth vehicle rolled off the line at the Brazil factory; in the Australian and African markets, Foton received bulk new energy bus orders; in the Middle East, it delivered 1,000 customized school buses to Saudi customers in batches.

Industry analysts point out that Foton Motor's model provides an important reference for the Chinese commercial vehicle industry; supply chain ESG is not a cost burden for enterprises, but an effective means to enhance supply chain resilience and long-term competitiveness. When enterprises no longer view upstream and downstream as opponents in a game, but as partners for joint growth, the results of their development can be shared by every participant in the supply chain, and the entire industry can achieve truly high-quality development.

Car Culture Says:

'This is the best of times, this is the worst of times.' Dickens' famous quote still applies to China's automotive industry today. We possess the world's largest automotive market, the most complete industrial chain system, and the most advanced new energy technology; this is the best of times; but we also face many challenges such as involution in price wars, prominence of supply chain contradictions, and increased pressure for global compliance; this is the worst of times.

170 years have passed, the technical form of industrial civilization has undergone earth-shaking changes, but how to balance capital pursuit of profit with social equity, and how to ensure that the results of development benefit everyone, remains the fundamental question we need to answer. Foton Motor's practice tells us that ESG is not only a digital report, but a more sustainable development concept with more humanistic touch. When more and more Chinese automotive enterprises plant the concept of people-oriented into supply chain construction, we can not only create more competitive products, but also output a fairer and more inclusive industrial civilization to the world, allowing Chinese automobiles to truly enjoy global reputation with the 'Chinese Solution'. （Written by | Ouyang）