On May 18, 2006, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles launched its new-generation heavy truck – the Dongfeng Tianlong. Since then, this series has been a sharp sword in the market, evolving through years of iteration and accumulating strong user recognition to spawn a diverse range of models that extensively cover various industry scenarios. On December 11, 2026, the Partner Conference of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd., themed “Define the Track, Pool Synergies, and Stride Forward into a New Journey Together”, was grandly held in Chongqing. At this grand event, the Dongfeng Tianlong KH, a flagship product built on an all-new platform, made its official debut. As one of the strategic models marking Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles’ entry into a new era, what innovations does the Tianlong KH embody? This article will take its diesel tractor as an example to unpack the details one by one.
As a heavy truck built on an all-new platform, the Dongfeng Tianlong KH showcases distinct futuristic and technological styling in its exterior design. Breaking away from the cluttered aesthetics prevalent in the market, the Tianlong KH adopts a sleek and understated design language. Its front fascia features a nearly enclosed design, accented with vertical and dot-shaped air vents that maintain functionality while delivering a clean and crisp visual impression. The body lines are smooth and flowing with natural surface transitions; combined with its unique front-end styling and a more steeply raked A-pillar angle, the truck achieves an excellent aerodynamic profile that effectively reduces wind resistance, laying the foundation for lower vehicle energy consumption.
The vertical LED headlamps not only deliver superior lighting performance and high reliability, but also grant the vehicle strong visual recognition. The left and right headlamps are visually connected by the black step area, cleverly breaking the monotony of the front face and balancing the overall visual center of gravity. Observant readers might ask: with only one step, how do you clean the windshield? The answer lies in the design: the Tianlong KH is equipped with a hidden foldable step integrated seamlessly into the front fascia, which can be flipped down for use with a light press. This design preserves the vehicle’s overall aesthetic appeal while ensuring practical functionality, reflecting the meticulous attention to detail in the Dongfeng Tianlong KH.
The “KH” badge is positioned at the upper right corner of the front fascia, highlighting its unique identity.
The model in the live review comes with a high-roof wide-body cab, providing a spacious and comfortable mobile space for drivers and passengers. The air intake is located at the upper left rear of the cab, integrated into the body contour. This design not only ensures efficient air intake for the engine, but also enhances the vehicle’s overall exterior coherence with smoother transitions, further optimizing aerodynamic performance.
The rearview mirror assembly features a stacked layout of the main mirror and wide-angle mirror with an integrated housing, helping to reduce wind resistance and presenting a streamlined visual look. More notably, the mirror bracket has undergone special optimization: the connecting part between the main mirror and wide-angle mirror is more slender, significantly reducing obstruction to the driver’s field of vision. This seemingly minor improvement reflects Dongfeng Tianlong KH’s dual focus on safety and user experience, attesting to the brand’s thoughtful engineering.
Developed on an all-new platform, the Dongfeng Tianlong KH is inherently capable of multi-energy and multi-power compatibility, flexibly adapting to diverse user scenarios. The model displayed at the event is powered by the Dongfeng Cummins Z14NS6B640 diesel engine, delivering a robust 640 horsepower and 2,800 N·m of peak torque. Paired with the Cummins Eaton Endurant 14-speed AMT transmission, it forms an integrated powertrain that has withstood rigorous testing. Boasting strong power output and impressive fuel efficiency, this powertrain is hailed as a classic in the diesel-powered segment. In addition to the Cummins-powered variant, Dongfeng also showcased the Tianlong KL model equipped with the Dongfeng Longqing integrated powertrain at the event, catering to different operating conditions and user preferences.
A large-capacity diesel tank is mounted on the left side of the chassis, occupying almost the entire side space to ensure long-lasting endurance for long-haul transportation needs.
On the right side of the chassis, the exhaust aftertreatment system, battery box, diesel tank and urea tank are arranged in a compact and logical sequence from front to rear, demonstrating excellent space utilization efficiency.
The Dongfeng Tianlong KH in this live review features a 6×4 drive configuration. The dual rear axles are fitted with steel wheels and a V-type thrust rod positioning structure, a classic and highly reliable configuration scheme in China, with optional gear ratios of 3.07/3.42/2.69/2.56.
Stepping inside the cab, the Dongfeng Tianlong KH continues the exterior’s technological styling while further elevating driving and riding quality. The vehicle is equipped with a 12.3-inch full LCD instrument cluster and a 15.6-inch central control touchscreen, complemented by column-mounted gear shift, one-button start, and a two-spoke multifunction steering wheel. These features create a cockpit atmosphere that blends luxury and intelligence, setting a new trend for heavy truck interior design. The wide-body high-roof cab offers ample space for movement, allowing even tall drivers to stretch freely, while the sleeper berth dimensions have also been expanded, significantly enhancing overall comfort.
A foldable tray table is specially installed on the front of the passenger seat, facilitating daily activities such as dining and note-taking for drivers. This thoughtful design detail is a warm embodiment of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles’ “people-centric” philosophy.
Conclusion
The Tianlong KH showcased at this Partner Conference is not the only model on offer. Dongfeng also presented a variety of Tianlong KH variants with different configurations at the event, including the increasingly popular natural gas tractor. As one of the latest platform products from Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles, the Tianlong KH features multi-dimensional upgrades in reliability, economy, comfort and intelligence. It is believed that this new model will carry forward the excellent genes of the Tianlong series, gain market recognition, further consolidate Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles’ strong reputation and dominant market position in the heavy truck sector, and work hand in hand with users and partners to embrace a more efficient, comfortable and sustainable new future of transportation.
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