China’s heavy truck market continued its rebound in July, with sales climbing 46% from a year earlier to 84,900 units. It was the fourth straight month of year-on-year growth, building on a weak base of less than 60,000 units in July 2024.

Strongest July in Five Years

Industry data show total truck sales, including chassis and tractors, reached 264,400 units in July, down 16% from June but up 14% on the year. Heavy truck sales alone fell 13% from the previous month but still posted their best July performance in five years and the third highest in a decade. The 46% increase also outpaced June’s 37% rise.

January–July Totals Point to Recovery

In the first seven months of 2025, heavy truck sales hit 624,000 units, up 11% from a year earlier. That makes it the second-highest level in the past five years. While still far below the record of over 1 million units in 2021, average monthly sales of nearly 90,000 are well above 2023 and 2024 levels, suggesting the market is firmly in recovery. At the current pace, annual sales are on track to top 1 million units again.

Market Leaders

Five automakers sold more than 10,000 heavy trucks in July. Sinotruk led with 22,700 units, followed by FAW TRUCKS (15,900), Dongfeng (13,400), SHACMAN (13,000) and Foton (11,500). Together, the top five commanded over 90% of the market, with Sinotruk alone taking 26.8%. The top ten players accounted for nearly 98% of sales.

Fastest Risers: Foton, XCMG, Chery

Every top ten manufacturer reported double-digit growth. Foton’s sales more than doubled, jumping 134% year-on-year, while XCMG doubled its sales and Chery surged more than fivefold. Other major players such as FAW TRUCKS, Dongfeng, JAC, Farizon and BAIC Heavy Trucks also outperformed the market. Foton, XCMG, Farizon and BAIC Heavy Trucks have now posted seven straight months of gains.

Cumulative Rankings

Between January and July, Sinotruk held the top spot with 171,500 units and a 27.5% market share. FAW TRUCKS, SHACMAN, Dongfeng and Foton followed, all selling over 100,000 units except Foton, which reached 78,000 but grew its market share the most, up nearly five percentage points from last year.

XCMG ranked sixth with 19,800 units, while JAC, Farizon, BAIC Heavy Trucks and Chery rounded out the top ten.

Industry Shake-Up

While the top five kept their positions from last year, rankings further down the list shifted. XCMG and JAC each climbed one spot, Farizon and BAIC Heavy Trucks moved up two, and Chery jumped from 15th to 10th, breaking into the top tier for the first time.

July’s results marked the fourth consecutive month of growth. With August traditionally a slower season but coming off a low base last year, analysts are watching to see if the rally can extend further.