Empowered by the Loong-Gine 3.0 Power Chain! High Efficiency, Intelligence, Fuel Saving, and Cab Upgrade, the New Rongyao Version of DFCV Tianlong KX is Here!

In March, spring arrives. Willows turn green and flowers turn red, and all things come back to life, marking the beginning of the whole year. For the transportation industry, what are the key words for 2025? Certainly, they are higher efficiency, greater reliability, more intelligence, and the pursuit of the ultimate. Currently, the competition in highway trunk transportation is fierce, and the profit margin is being continuously compressed. These key words are not only the “way to make profits” but also the crucial “way to survive”.

With high efficiency as the core and based on the numerous needs of modern highway trunk transportation, our old friend, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles, has always been on the path of self-innovation. On March 1st, 2025, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles held the launch event of the new generation heavy-duty power chain of Loong-Gine 3.0 and the new Rongyao version of Dongfeng Tianlong KX in Linyi, Shandong. Linyi is located at the junction of the Yangtze River Delta Economic Circle and the Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan Economic Circle and is known as the “Capital of Logistics”. The launch event gathered hundreds of people, including dealer representatives, major customer representatives, and media guests of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles in various segmented fields. The products brought also represent the strongest voice of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles’ technology. In today’s article, let’s take the Rongyao version of Dongfeng Tianlong KX as an example to see together how Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles responds to the current market situation and breaks the deadlock.

Empowered by the Loong-Gine 3.0 Power Chain, Focusing on High Efficiency, Intelligence, and Strong Fuel Saving

DDi13 Diesel Engine

One of the biggest highlights of the new Rongyao version of Dongfeng Tianlong KX lies in the brand-new power chain it is equipped with: Loong-Gine 3.0. This power chain integrates 13 patented technologies, breaks through the “bottleneck” technologies such as heavy-duty automatic transmissions and gas engines, and achieves complete independent control. According to Dongfeng’s official data, the thermal efficiency of the Loong-Gine 3.0 power chain reaches 51.08%, making it the first domestic power assembly in the industry to break through the 50% thermal efficiency threshold, which can help customers reduce fuel consumption by more than 4%.

China has a vast territory, and long-distance trunk transportation often spans across the country. The complex and changeable working conditions pose extremely high challenges to the performance of the power system. Precisely for this reason, relying on the big data scenario database, AI scenario recognition and working condition prediction, and integrated domain fusion intelligent control, the Loong-Gine 3.0 power chain has three major advantages: scenario-driven, ultimate efficiency, and intelligent control. Thus, it can finely and predictively regulate the power system, achieving strong power, high efficiency, and low energy consumption.

In the past 2024, natural gas power quickly became a new favorite in the market due to the large price difference between oil and gas and the low operation cost. Entering 2025, the popularity of natural gas power will continue. The Loong-Gine 3.0 power chain adopts a dual-route strategy of diesel + natural gas, covering the full horsepower range from 210 hp to 600 hp, providing flexible solutions for industry users. With intelligent calibration of more than 36 Chinese scenarios, intelligent self-adaptation to various road conditions, and automatic output of different powers and engine braking powers, it ensures efficient and reliable operation.

In the Loong-Gine 3.0 power chain of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles, the DA12 transmission matched with the engine has also achieved new breakthroughs. The DA12 transmission adopts an integrated shift actuator + a central direct-push clutch actuator. Coupled with the helical planetary gear train and the high-precision fully ground gear process, the effects are as follows: fast and accurate shifting, reduced power interruption, reduced noise, improved service life, and a transmission efficiency as high as 99.8%. According to Dongfeng’s data, the average shifting speed of the DA12 transmission reaches the level of 780 milliseconds, greatly improving the power performance and efficiency in long-distance trunk transportation, and the comprehensive benefits are remarkable.

Traveling all over the country, a reliable truck is a strong shield for truck drivers. You can find the footprints of the Dongfeng Loong-Gine power chain all over the country. Facing the future development needs, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles announced that it will invest 1.5 billion yuan in 2025 to build 100 specialized Loong-Gine power maintenance stations covering the whole country. At the same time, it will introduce a service policy of “lifetime warranty for core components + replacement instead of repair for the power assembly”, giving full confidence and assurance, so that truck drivers can operate with peace of mind and make profits.

Integrating a Modern Sense of Technology, Upgrading the Classic Appearance

At the launch event, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles displayed several Tianlong KX new Rongyao tractors, with power forms including diesel and liquefied natural gas (LNG). As a classic model in the Dongfeng Tianlong family, the Tianlong KX new Rongyao tractor continues the classic appearance that the family has always had and has been upgraded in details on this basis. The iconic red car paint is as smooth as a mirror, clearly reflecting the surrounding environment, fully demonstrating its excellent paint process.

The front mask adopts an integral design, integrating the left and right corner wraps. It can avoid damage caused by forgetting to open the corner wraps when jacking up the cab. The mask uses the same red paint as the body, and the Dongfeng logo and the chrome strip are located in the central C position. This not only enhances the overall and modern sense but also proudly shows its identity.

The KX logo indicating the vehicle series is located at the lower right of the front windshield, while the classic Dongfeng Tianlong logo is located at the lower left of the front windshield.

Below the front mask is an inverted trapezoidal three-stage intake grille, which can provide sufficient frontal wind impact for the engine at the rear, thereby enhancing the heat dissipation effect and ensuring the working performance of the engine in a high-temperature environment. There are two-stage aluminum alloy footrests designed inside the grille, with punched protrusions on the upper part for anti-slip, making it convenient for the driver to clean the front windshield safely and stably.

The headlights are located on the left and right of the bumper. The lens design not only helps to improve the lighting effect but also makes them look bright and vivid like bright eyes.

A large black sunshade is designed at the top of the front windshield, so there is no need to worry about glare when driving against the light. The roof is decorated with the Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles decal, which has a high degree of recognition.

The rearview mirror adopts the design of the main mirror on the top and the wide-angle mirror on the bottom. The integral shell has the same color as the body, taking into account both low wind resistance and excellent visual effects.

“Fighting” with Dual Routes of Natural Gas + Diesel, Covering Multiple Segmented Fields

Aiming at different industries and working conditions, the new Rongyao model of Dongfeng Tianlong KX has been divided into multiple versions, covering two major energy routes of fuel and gas, and responding to various segmented industries such as medium and long-distance transportation, resource transportation, express delivery, and hazardous chemicals transportation. The horsepower of the tractor covers the range of 490-600Ps, and with its rich product lineup and strong product strength, it can meet the challenges of various industries.

According to different models, the side of the cab of the new Rongyao model of Dongfeng Tianlong KX also has different decal decorations such as KX.

The new Rongyao models of Dongfeng Tianlong KX displayed at the launch event are all equipped with the Dongfeng Loong-Gine 3.0 power chain. The above picture shows one of the diesel tractors. In order to maximize the cruising range, the vehicle is equipped with a large-capacity lightweight aluminum alloy fuel tank on the left side of the chassis.

On the right side of the chassis, from front to back, there are the exhaust gas after-treatment system, the battery box, and a small-sized aluminum alloy fuel tank. The large and small fuel tanks can be filled with diesel of different grades to meet the challenges of cold regions in winter.

Due to the existence of facilities such as fuel tanks on both sides of the chassis, the urea tank has been moved to the rear left of the cab.

This new Rongyao diesel tractor of Dongfeng Tianlong KX adopts the Loong-Gine 3.0 integrated power chain, including the Loong-Gine DDi13 engine + DA12 automatic transmission. It has a horsepower of 520 hp, a torque of 2500 N·m, and the maximum torque range covers 900 rpm to 1400 rpm, which is quite wide. Coupled with measures such as a lower idle speed, integrated tuning of the power chain, and intelligent calibration of Chinese scenarios, the fuel consumption is more than 1.5L lower than the industry level.

The rear axle of the vehicle adopts two DF440 drive axles, forming a 6×4 drive form, and the gear ratio can be selected from 2.69/2.87/3.42/3.64, matched with maintenance-free wheel ends.

The front axle is equipped with a Kamet oil-lubricated wheel end + an aluminum alloy wheel rim. Compared with the grease-lubricated wheel end, the Kamet oil-lubricated wheel end has good lubrication performance and heat dissipation performance, which can reduce the probability of vehicle failures caused by overheating of the wheel end. It can also clearly observe the internal oil situation through the transparent end cover, improving the convenience and reliability of transportation.

At the launch event, Dongfeng also displayed the new Rongyao natural gas tractor of Tianlong KX, which adopts a 6×4 drive form. The LNG liquid tank has a back-carrying structure and is installed at the rear of the cab. It is equipped with a new generation of Loong-Gine 3.0 natural gas engine: DGi13T520, with an output of 520 hp and a torque of 5400 N·m. Combined with the new generation of DF400 high-efficiency and energy-saving axle and the Longqing DA12/DT14 transmission, its advantages are high transmission efficiency and load-bearing capacity, and the gas consumption is 5%-7% better than the industry level.

Dual Large-screen Intelligent Cockpit, Comprehensive Upgrade of Comfort and Ergonomics

The new Rongyao model of Dongfeng Tianlong KX adopts a new Rongyao cab, with four-point airbag suspension and shock absorption, bringing a smooth and delicate driving and riding experience. Aiming at the long-distance transportation working conditions across the country, the sound insulation and heat insulation layer of the vehicle cab has been thickened and upgraded, and the airtightness of the vehicle has been improved, which also helps to enhance the comfort inside the vehicle.

After opening the door, a three-stage metal boarding pedal comes into view. The pedal size is increased, and it has anti-slip patterns. It shrinks inward successively like steps, making it convenient for the driver to board the vehicle safely and stably.

The seat is a configuration that the driver deals with the most during the transportation process, and the new Rongyao model of Dongfeng Tianlong KX also does a good job in this regard. The vehicle adopts the Isringhausen Huatai NTS870 seat, which is one of the star products of the Isringhausen NTS series. This product has an excellent ergonomic design. It not only provides a four-way airbag lumbar support but also adds a shoulder support structure, thus reducing the fatigue during long-distance driving.

At the same time, this seat also provides a three-speed adjustable ventilation and heating function, bringing a comfortable riding experience of warmth in winter and coolness in summer, with good breathability.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, the regular and technologically-sense driving area comes into view. Among them, the three-spoke instrument panel adopts a modern design, with multiple multifunctional buttons. It can quickly control vehicle functions such as cruise control, and the hand does not need to leave the steering wheel, ensuring the convenience of operation and driving safety. In addition, the steering wheel is covered, with stitching and ventilation holes, which is sweat-absorbing and comfortable.

The new Rongyao model of Dongfeng Tianlong KX adopts an embedded multimedia cockpit, composed of a 12.3-inch full-color liquid crystal instrument panel + a 12.8-inch multimedia screen. It adopts a clear touch operation, integrating multiple functions, and finally creating a simple instrument panel shape. Most of the operation functions can be controlled by voice, and the convenience and safety of use are in place.

One of the essential configurations: the small trash can on the boarding handrail is also present, which is very convenient for flicking ashes.

The shift adopts a knob design and is placed on the right side of the driver’s seat for the driver’s convenience.

There is a recessed storage space on the instrument panel, which can be used to place some small and 零碎 items.

Three overhead lockers on the roof + two storage slots bring more storage space for the items on the vehicle.

The size of the sleeper is one of the advantages of the Dongfeng Tianlong KX family, and the new Rongyao model of Dongfeng Tianlong KX also continues this advantage.

Conclusion

As Zhang Xiaofan, General Manager of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles, said: “The launch of Loong-Gine 3.0 is not the end but a new starting point for China’s power chain to climb to the world peak.” The introduction of the Loong-Gine 3.0 power chain represents one of the core qualities of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles, which is high efficiency, intelligence, and technology leadership. Ultra-high efficiency and excellent reliability all represent the strong technical strength of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles. In many segmented fields, the Dongfeng Tianlong KX model has achieved remarkable results. With the launch of the KX new Rongyao model equipped with the Loong-Gine 3.0 power chain, it is believed that Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles will achieve even more excellent performance.