On April 1st, Foton Motor held its Q1 2025 Business Conference. At this conference, in addition to summarizing the work of the first quarter and planning for the second quarter, Foton Motor more importantly put forward the goal of “striving to become a world – class commercial vehicle enterprise”. As an old saying goes, a nine – story tower rises from the accumulation of earth. Foton Motor’s goal needs to be broken down into specific steps for implementation. Therefore, at this launch conference, we witnessed Foton Motor launching three new products at once: Toano X5, Auman Blue EHL, and Auman Galaxy 3.
For a commercial vehicle enterprise, launching a product is not particularly difficult; it just requires following the routine. However, the three products launched by Foton Motor do not belong to the same series, which indirectly demonstrates the strength of Foton Motor’s manufacturing system. Specifically, the Toano X5, Auman Blue EHL, and Auman Galaxy 3 are respectively applied in three segmented application scenarios: green urban distribution logistics, urban sanitation, and long – branch lines combined with regional distribution and collection. The key is that all three products are available with new energy solutions.
By means of these three new products, Foton Motor aims to expand its market share in the commercial vehicle market and cover more user groups. At the same time, it also injects strong impetus into the commercial vehicle industry’s move towards low – carbon and intelligent development. Moreover, these three models are precisely positioned to serve different segmented scenarios, which, to a certain extent, provides a reference for the formulation of relevant industry standard systems.
Three New Vehicles Help Foton’s Commercial Vehicles Maintain Their “All – Around King” Status
When it comes to commercial vehicles, trucks and buses often come to mind first. Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that in 2024, the annual sales volume of commercial vehicles reached 3.873 million units, with trucks and buses accounting for 86.81% and 13.17% respectively. For commercial vehicle enterprises, building a three – dimensional and comprehensive product portfolio to meet diverse market demands is the key to enhancing competitiveness. Foton Motor is one of the outstanding ones.
In 2024, Foton Motor sold 611,600 commercial vehicles, ranking first in China, nearly 230,000 units ahead of the second – ranked enterprise, and continuously dominating the commercial vehicle market. Its product portfolio is complete, covering light, medium, and heavy – duty trucks, as well as light, medium, and large – sized buses, and is widely used in many fields such as urban logistics and construction projects.
At the Q1 2025 Business Conference, Foton Motor launched three new products: Toano X5, Auman EST Blue EHL, and Auman Galaxy 3, providing innovative solutions for the segmented scenarios of green urban distribution logistics, urban sanitation, and long – branch lines combined with regional distribution and collection, and strengthening its image as the “all – around king” of commercial vehicles.
The Toano X5 focuses on green urban distribution logistics. It is equipped with a globally expandable platform architecture that is compatible with fuel, pure – electric, and hybrid power. The pure – electric version is equipped with batteries from Foton IECO and CATL, achieving an excellent balance between cruising range and energy consumption. It has a maximum cruising range of 520 kilometers and a power consumption as low as 17.7 kWh per 100 kilometers. It can also be optionally equipped with an L2 – level intelligent driving assistance system to ensure driving safety. It should be noted that in current urban logistics transportation, many areas have a height limit of 2.5 meters, which greatly troubles some urban logistics vehicles. As logistics drivers, loading one more box of goods means earning more money. However, due to the height limit in cities, some VAN – type vehicles have to sacrifice part of their loading space. The loading height of the high – roof model of the Toano X5 reaches 1,790 millimeters, and the cargo box volume exceeds 9.7 cubic meters, which is equivalent to squeezing two more rows of shelves into a standard container. The Toano X5 is undoubtedly a great helper for logistics drivers to increase efficiency and earn more money.
The Auman Blue EHL is specifically designed for urban sanitation. With the increasingly strict environmental protection requirements, the new – energy and intelligent development of sanitation vehicles is the general trend. This model fills the gap in Foton’s new – energy sanitation vehicle field and helps it seize the segmented market.
The Auman Galaxy 3 is aimed at the transportation market of long – branch lines combined with regional distribution and collection. It is available in diesel, pure – electric, and hybrid versions, covering all scenarios. The efficiency of the pure – electric version is increased by 30%, and the thermal efficiency of the hybrid version exceeds 50%. In terms of intelligence, the whole vehicle supports multi – scenario self – learning, and the intelligent power management system is practical and convenient. At the same time, the vehicle uses 42 new materials, 56 new processes, and 68 new technologies. It adopts aircraft – carrier – grade hot – formed steel and an integrated structure, reducing the vehicle weight by 200 kg. For truck drivers, every bit saved means more earnings. The Auman Galaxy 3 improves safety, maneuverability, and economy.
For users who purchase commercial vehicles, the vehicle is no longer just a tool but an important part of family production materials. Under the existing road traffic rules, how to maximize the efficiency of a vehicle has become a topic that vehicle enterprises continue to explore. The three models launched by Foton Motor this time show that commercial vehicles can not only achieve technological innovation but also innovate at the boundaries of regulatory efficiency to maximize the efficiency of logistics transportation within the established rules. In addition, the launch of these three vehicles is also the result of Foton Motor’s long – term investment in the fields of new energy and intelligence. With technological innovation and a strong manufacturing system, Foton Motor will continue to consolidate its leading market position and promote the commercial vehicle industry to develop towards green, intelligent, and efficient directions.
Foton Maximizes Low – Carbon Comfort in the Neglected Market
At this conference, Foton Motor launched three new products: Toano X5, Auman Blue EHL, and Auman Galaxy 3. These three vehicles not only enrich the product line and increase the market share in segmented markets but, more importantly, are all equipped with new – energy solutions, demonstrating its layout in the field of new – energy commercial vehicles. The Toano X5 has three power options: fuel, pure – electric, and hybrid; the Auman Blue EHL is a pure – electric sanitation vehicle; and the Auman Galaxy 3 is available in diesel, electric, and hybrid versions, covering all scenarios.
As a leading enterprise in the commercial vehicle industry, Foton is well aware of the urgency of energy conservation and emission reduction. The transportation sector is a key area of carbon emissions in China, accounting for 10.4% of the country’s total carbon emissions. In road transportation, although commercial vehicles only account for about 12% of the vehicle stock, their carbon emissions account for as high as 55%. The carbon emissions of a diesel – powered heavy – duty truck are approximately equivalent to those of nearly 100 passenger cars. The launch of these three new – energy models by Foton complies with the requirements of the low – carbon and environmental – friendly era and actively promotes the green transformation of the commercial vehicle industry.
Among these three new vehicles, the Auman Blue EHL sanitation vehicle has many highlights. With its exclusive new – energy platform, it adopts the technology of zoned – controlled battery packs, which can increase the operating power by 7.5%. It also uses vehicle weight identification technology and a three – gear braking energy recovery mode to improve the energy recovery efficiency. Calculated based on the sales volume of approximately 25,000 sanitation vehicles in China in 2024, if all are replaced with Auman Blue EHL, 39.45 tons of carbon emissions can be reduced annually, which is equivalent to planting 17.93 million trees.
The Auman Blue EHL is also the first low – entry truck – type sanitation vehicle. Its 410 – mm step is designed with a golden ratio, allowing sanitation workers to “board the vehicle in one step”, reducing the intensity of getting on and off the vehicle by 40%. In 2024, the penetration rate of low – entry models in the domestic sanitation vehicle market was less than 1%. Front – line sanitation workers were troubled by problems such as high cabs, large blind spots, and high – intensity operations of traditional sanitation vehicles. Moreover, traditional sanitation vehicles have poor modification adaptability and lack intelligent configurations, which seriously restricts the improvement of industry efficiency.
The Auman Blue EHL precisely focuses on the upgrade requirements of “modification adaptability, driving comfort, safety, and intelligence”. It breaks through with advanced technologies, promotes the innovation of sanitation equipment, and leads the industry to develop in a more advanced, efficient, and human – friendly direction.
Chang Rui, Chairman of Foton Motor, said that the new – energy strategy is the company’s top – priority development strategy. Foton will make saturated investments in the new – energy main track to achieve full – value – chain acceleration. The “New Energy 30·50 Strategy” clearly states that by 2030, the proportion of new – energy vehicles will exceed 50%, and Foton will become an excellent new – energy commercial vehicle enterprise in the world; by 2050, it will achieve carbon neutrality across the entire value chain and become a global leader in the green transportation ecosystem. The breakthroughs of the Auman EST Blue EHL in new energy, comfort, and intelligence this time demonstrate Foton Motor’s responsibility in promoting the low – carbon and environmental – friendly development of the commercial vehicle industry and its determination to consolidate the development foundation of the new – energy track.
Foton Motor Strives to Become a World – Class Commercial Vehicle Enterprise through a Systematic Approach
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” At the Q1 2025 Business Conference, Foton Motor clearly put forward the goal of “striving to become a world – class commercial vehicle enterprise”. From the innovative technologies carried by the three new vehicles launched by Foton, the outside world has truly experienced its strong strength. In fact, Foton Motor’s confidence is not only reflected in its vehicle products. It has also made solid layouts in many key fields such as R&D, the supply chain, and sales channels.
In terms of R&D, Foton Motor has always been at the forefront of the industry, taking innovation as the core driving force. Centered around the “New Energy 30·50 Strategy”, it is fully promoting the three – line layout of “pure – electric + hybrid + fuel cell”. Currently, Foton Motor has fully independently developed the core modules of its pure – electric products. For example, the Galaxy 3’s self – developed PACK, combined with flexible battery capacity combinations, can meet the needs of different transportation distances. It is equipped with a self – developed electric drive axle and electric control system, with an efficiency increase of 30%. In terms of hybrid technology, Foton Motor’s hybrid technology platform includes self – developed hybrid – dedicated engines (DHE), dedicated transmissions (DHT), hybrid power systems (DHP), and other technical platforms, as well as hardware and software technologies. It has an exclusive hardware architecture and leading software strategies, and has adopted 40 technological innovations to make vehicles more fuel – efficient, reliable, and safe. Take the Foton Auman Starlight Hybrid Heavy – Duty Truck as an example. This vehicle can flexibly switch among four modes: pure – electric drive, engine drive, hybrid drive, and braking energy recovery according to actual working conditions, optimizing energy utilization. It can achieve a 26% fuel savings in mountainous area working conditions and a 16% fuel savings in national – road trunk – line transportation conditions, comprehensively reducing fuel costs.
The hydrogen – energy route has also achieved fruitful results. The 120 – kW fuel cell system can control the hydrogen consumption at 6.5 kg per 100 kilometers. Its Winter Olympics support fleet has safely operated for over 2 million kilometers, demonstrating Foton Motor’s profound technical accumulation and strong innovation capabilities in the field of new – energy R&D.
In the field of the supply chain, Foton Motor has carefully constructed a strong and stable system. After years of in – depth cultivation, Foton Motor’s supply chain comprehensively covers four major sectors: complete vehicles, parts, automotive finance, and the automotive aftermarket. In terms of parts supply, Foton Motor has joined hands with internationally renowned enterprises such as Cummins, Daimler, and ZF to establish joint ventures. Through in – depth cooperation, it has achieved self – research and self – production of core parts such as engines and transmissions. This model of in – depth cooperation and independent control not only ensures the stable supply of parts but also provides a solid guarantee for product quality. Take the Toano X5 as an example. Whether its power system is equipped with a Cummins engine or Foton’s self – developed new – energy power unit, it relies on the efficient cooperation of all links in the supply chain to achieve the perfect combination of strong power and high – efficiency energy conservation.
Channel construction is also an important focus of Foton Motor. By 2024, Foton Motor had more than 10,000 service stations in China, with an average service radius of less than 30 kilometers, achieving full coverage of 31 provincial – level administrative regions in China. This intensive service network especially focuses on the sinking market, with a county – level coverage rate of over 70%, effectively solving the “last – mile” problem of traditional commercial vehicle services. To further optimize the channels, Foton Motor is committed to building a channel system that emphasizes both “scale + quality”. On the one hand, it is increasing efforts to cultivate strategic distributors, aiming to create a number of benchmark channels in the commercial vehicle industry with an annual sales volume of more than 5,000 units, and even daring to aim for 10,000 units, to enhance market sales capabilities.
At the same time, Foton Motor pays attention to the coordinated development of channels and other links in the industry chain. In the new – energy field, it is driven by both leasing and energy – replenishment, relying on the Zhifu Vehicle Management System and the construction of energy – replenishment stations to build a new – energy ecological chain of “people + vehicles + charging piles + scenarios”. It actively supports distributors in building energy – replenishment stations. The charging stations built in cooperation with TELD and Sinopec are preferentially opened to its own users, and a “charging electricity subsidy” policy has been introduced to improve the user experience and promote the development of the new – energy business.
The commercial vehicle aftermarket is directly related to the front – market. Foton Motor has established a brand certification system to cultivate the full – value – chain operation capabilities of distributors, realizing the whole – process operation of vehicle acquisition, preparation, sales, finance, and quality assurance, effectively increasing the vehicle premium rate. In terms of service guarantee, Foton Motor is accelerating its transformation into a customer – operation system, continuously improving its new – energy three – electric service capabilities, improving the parts support system, strengthening the construction of the engineer team, promoting the construction of the service product ecological matrix, achieving the in – depth integration of aftermarket and front – market businesses, providing users with full – life – cycle services, and enhancing user stickiness and brand loyalty.
Today, with its strong manufacturing system, complete industry chain, diverse marketing channels, clear strategic planning, and continuous innovation capabilities, Foton Motor is steadily moving towards the goal of becoming a world – class commercial vehicle enterprise, and is expected to lead the future development trend of the global commercial vehicle industry.
