Currently, the advantages of China’s commercial vehicle industry are continuously spilling over, and the global layout is accelerating. As an ecological enterprise of light and micro commercial vehicles committed to becoming a leading global-scale enterprise, Forland Automobile is accelerating the implementation of its global strategy by virtue of its innovative technological advantages and localized production strategies. On February 26th, 2025, the launch event of Forland Automobile in Morocco was successfully held. At the event, four products were released, namely the micro-truck T5e, the small truck L5e, the light truck L5n, and the light truck L5, which were tailor-made according to the characteristics of local transportation working conditions in Morocco. Forland Automobile’s debut in Morocco is not only an important move in the globalization of the Forland Automobile brand but also a comprehensive upgrade of Made in China from “product export” to “technology + standard export”, opening a new pattern for the global development of Chinese automobile enterprises and promoting Chinese brands to go global at an accelerated pace.
At the event site, nearly a hundred guests, including Li Changlin, the Chinese Ambassador to Morocco, Dong Yongsheng, General Manager of Forland Overseas Headquarters, Sun Chaoshan, Deputy General Manager of Marketing of Forland Overseas Headquarters, Pan Linjian, General Manager of the North Africa Region, and Lionel, General Manager of BM MAROC, gathered at the site. They, together with more than 30 local media outlets, many potential customers, and distributors, witnessed this milestone moment.
Implementing the Global Strategy by Improving “Quality”, Building the Overseas Influence of the Forland Automobile Brand
Currently, Chinese enterprises going global has become an important driving force for their development. Brand going global is not only about product export but also about innovating the marketing model and creating products and services with high quality and high cost-effectiveness. Based on the layout of the entire industrial chain with international resources, Forland Automobile pays more attention to the improvement of “quality” in its overseas localized operation, deepens the connotation of going global in the ecological sense, and builds the overseas influence of the brand.
In his speech, Li Changlin, the Chinese Ambassador to Morocco, emphasized: “The presence of Shidai Automobile is a microcosm of the deepening economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. Chinese enterprises’ investment in Morocco has expanded from infrastructure to technology-intensive industries. Such cooperation not only creates jobs but also helps Morocco become a regional manufacturing hub.”
Lionel, General Manager of BM MAROC, said: “The entry of Forland Automobile is not only the introduction of a new brand but also a transformation opportunity for the transportation industry in Morocco. We are committed to empowering local enterprises and economic vitality through modern and cost-effective solutions.” He further revealed that the two sides will promote network construction in stages, planning to build 15 sales and service outlets before 2026 and establish a localized parts center to ensure the efficiency of after-sales response.
Dong Yongsheng, General Manager of Forland Overseas Headquarters, said: “Morocco is a strategic fulcrum of our North African market. We will continue to promote business development through the dual-core strategy of ‘in-depth technological development and global layout’. Forland Automobile brings not only products but also an economic ecosystem. We will rely on the local resources of the GBH Group and the manufacturing experience of Forland Automobile.” In the future, based on the existing four fuel vehicle models, Forland Automobile will launch a pure electric light truck in 2026. At the same time, through the CKD mode, it will realize the localized production of some models in the Moroccan factory to reduce costs and enhance the resilience of the supply chain, reshaping the pattern of the Moroccan commercial vehicle market.
Precise Customization of Products + Services, Taking Root Locally to Achieve Customer Value
As one of the five major service export economies in Africa, Morocco has a relatively complete transportation infrastructure and good connectivity. Currently, road freight transportation, as an important pillar of Morocco’s economy, undertakes nearly 75% of the country’s freight transportation volume. The huge freight transportation volume requires more diverse products, and the complexity of road working conditions requires vehicles to have stronger transportation adaptability to meet customers’ product needs of high efficiency and low cost.
The four vehicle models launched by Forland Automobile in Morocco this time cover multiple transportation scenarios. Among them, the micro-truck T5e is mainly for urban terminal distribution and is suitable for transporting light goods such as food and furniture; the small truck L5e is suitable for the building materials transportation and express delivery industries; the light truck L5n is specially designed for distribution outside the city; and the light truck L5 meets the long-distance transportation needs of logistics enterprises and government agencies. In addition, all models are equipped with a remote diagnosis system as standard, and a service commitment of “response within 2 hours and repair within 24 hours” is made to eliminate users’ concerns about the after-sales system.
Facing the entire North African market, Forland Automobile will continue to increase the local assembly rate to further reduce costs; strengthen cooperation with dealers, share the successful experience of other markets with dealers, and support dealers in carrying out various activities locally. At the same time, it will continue to invest in planning the establishment of a national sales and service network in Morocco, provide 24-hour parts supply and a one-stop service model, and continuously introduce new products to meet customer needs. More importantly, Forland Automobile’s localized strategy will not only lower the threshold for customers to purchase vehicles, but the CKD mode is also likely to promote Morocco to become a commercial vehicle manufacturing hub in North Africa.
From being a large automobile country to a powerful automobile country, it is the right time for Chinese automobile brands to “go global”! In the process of reconstructing the productivity of freight transportation globally and promoting the value chain to develop towards efficiency, low carbon, convenience, and win-win results, Forland Automobile will continue to join hands with upstream and downstream industrial chain partners to form a joint development force, form strong comprehensive competitive strength, and strive to become a leading global-scale ecological enterprise of light and micro commercial vehicles.
