Foton recently celebrated a major milestone with the inauguration of its Thailand factory and the rollout of the Foton EST400 AMT, marking the production of its 1 millionth export vehicle in Bangkok.
Foton Expands Global Footprint with Thailand Factory
Held as part of the Foton Asia Pacific Partners Conference 2025, the event gathered 400 attendees, including Thai government officials, Foton representatives, supply chain partners, Asia-Pacific dealers, distributors and the media. Truck & Bus News, invited by Handal BCM Sdn Bhd, Foton’s exclusive distributor for its range of vans, witnessed this significant achievement that underscores Foton’s 20-year journey of strategic globalisation and its evolution into a full-chain international entity.
The event also marked the knock-down (KD) assembly of Foton’s heavy-duty trucks in Thailand that covers internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric models. Behind these achievements were Foton’s advanced intelligent manufacturing systems and rigorous quality standards, which fuelled collaborations with industry giants like Cummins, ZF and CATL. These partnerships strengthened Foton’s focus on traditional and new energy solutions, enhancing its competitive edge through the ‘Foton Super Powertrain’ system and driving its growth across Southeast Asia and Latin America.
During the conference, Foton further advanced its vision by introducing the ‘Spark Partners’ initiative, uniting six key industry players in the traditional energy sector — Aucan, Fast, Fangsheng, YC Diesel, Cummins and ZF. This strategic alliance is aimed at developing efficient and reliable power system solutions that meet global demand for high-quality performance. Together with the Green Power Alliance, Foton is championing sustainable development by leveraging innovative new energy solutions from partners such as CATL, Enneagon Energy and TELD, alongside traditional energy collaborations. This unified approach underscores Foton’s commitment to delivering advanced, eco-friendly solutions for a greener future.
A joint venture with the Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group), the Thailand factory signified Foton‘s strong commitment to the Asia-Pacific market. Established in 2019, the collaboration leveraged technological and market expertise to solidify Foton‘s position in Thailand’s commercial vehicle market. The partnership is aimed at making Foton a top-three commercial vehicle brand in Thailand and a regional hub for Asean expansion.
Commitment to sustainability and green energy
Spanning 37,000 square metres, the facility produced a wide range of commercial vehicles – heavy-duty trucks, light-duty trucks, small trucks and buses. Aligning with Thailand’s push for green energy, Foton plans to introduce a full lineup of new energy commercial vehicles to provide cleaner, more sustainable solutions for the region. The launch of eMiler, eTunland and eAuman during the event was a testament to Foton’s commitment to driving the adoption of electric commercial vehicles as part of its new energy lineup and showcasing its dedication to sustainability and innovation in the transportation industry. Participants also had the opportunity to explore these new models up close and experience them firsthand through test drives and rides.
Foton‘s global strategy, which integrates ICE and battery electric vehicles (BEV), positioned the company as a leader in the commercial vehicle industry. Since 2003, Foton was at the forefront of new energy technologies by mastering core ‘three-electrics’ innovations and advancing solutions like pure electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Its new energy commercial vehicles are fully certified under the European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) standards and sold in key markets across Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
In Europe, Foton’s pure electric trucks are in markets including Italy, Poland and Spain, and the company is collaborating with Piaggio and IVECO on electric vehicle projects. In Latin America, Foton delivered more than 1,400 pure electric buses to help Chile become a leader in electric bus adoption. In Asia-Pacific, Foton is a major provider of pure electric buses in Malaysia, including the operation of the first cross-border electric bus service between Singapore and Malaysia. Additionally, its hydrogen and electric buses are now in service in Malta, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, India and Egypt to support transit systems and airports.
Driving regional and global expansion
Through strategic collaborations with global manufacturers and supply chain partners, Foton is upgrading its ‘product export’ strategy to one of ‘industrial chain internationalisation’. This transformation supports its international growth that is reflected in a record 131,000 commercial vehicle exports in 2023 — a 49.1-per cent year-on-year increase — making Foton the leading Chinese commercial vehicle exporter for 13 consecutive years.
In Thailand, Foton developed a strong industrial cluster and is planning further expansion to other Asia-Pacific markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam. In the Americas, the company is progressing with its localisation strategy, with a manufacturing project in Brazil set to begin in 2025. Globally, Foton prioritised ‘cooperation and win-win’ at the heart of its localisation approach by creating partnerships through equity investments and technology collaboration. To date, it has established 22 localised KD plants worldwide that contribute to local industry development and job creation.
Foton is committed to its dual-path strategy, combining traditional and new energy vehicles, to drive growth through continuous innovation. By establishing regional manufacturing hubs, particularly in Thailand, Foton aims to lead Asean in automotive component exports. With a focus on collaboration and mutual success, the company is exploring new business models and partnerships as it works toward its next milestone of one million vehicles.
福田汽车泰国迎来海外汽车第100万辆里程碑
福田汽车近日庆祝了一个重要的里程碑，其泰国工厂落成，并推出福田EST400 AMT，标志着其在曼谷生产了第100万辆出口汽车。作为福田汽车2025年亚太合作伙伴大会的一部分，该活动聚集了400 名与会者，包括泰国政府官员、福田汽车代表、供应链合作伙伴、亚太代理商、分销商及媒体。《卡客车新闻》受福田汽车系列客货车独家经销商Handal BCM 私人有限公司的邀请，有幸见证这一成就。该成就也彰显了福田汽车20年战略的全球化历程，还有朝向全产业链国际化发展的雄心。
此次活动也标志着福田重卡在泰国的KD组装，涵盖内燃机（ICE）和电动车型。在这些成就的背后是福田汽车先进的智能制造体系和严格的质量标准，与康明斯（Cummins）、采埃孚（ZF）、宁德时代（CATL）等行业巨头的战略合作。这些合作伙伴关系加强了福田汽车对传统和新能源解决方案的关注，通过“福田超级动力总成”系统增强其竞争优势，并推动其在东南亚和拉丁美洲的增长。
大会上，福田汽车进一步推进了其愿景，推出“火擎联盟” (Spark Partners)计划，携手传统能源领域的六家主要行业参与者——奥肯（Aucan）、法士特（Fast）、方盛 （Fangsheng）、玉柴（YC Diesel）、康明斯和采埃孚。这一战略联盟旨在开发高效、可靠的电力系统解决方案，满足全球对高质量性能的需求。在传统能源外，福田汽车也与宁德时代、玖行能源（Enneagon Energy）和特来电（TELD）等合作伙伴，组成“新能源生态联盟” （Green Power Alliance），赋能新能源产品，倡导可持续发展。这种结合了新与传统能源的方法，反映了福田汽车致力于为绿色未来提供先进、环保解决方案的承诺。
泰国工厂是福田汽车与正大集团（Charoen Pokphand Group）的合资企业，标志着福田汽车对亚太市场的坚定承诺。该合作成立于2019年，利用技术和市场专业知识巩固福田汽车在泰国商用车市场的地位。此次合作，旨在使福田汽车成为泰国三大商用车品牌和作为其扩张东盟区域的中心。
对可持续发展和绿色能源的承诺
该工厂占地 37,000 平方米，生产各种商用车 – 重卡、轻卡及巴士。配合泰国对绿色能源的推动，福田汽车计划推出全系列新能源商用车，为该地区提供更清洁、更可持续的解决方案。大会上发布的eMiler、eTunland和eAuman，证明了福田汽车致力于推动电动商用车作为其新能源产品线的一部分，并展示了其对交通行业可持续发展和创新的奉献精神。与会者还有机会近距离探索并通过试驾和乘坐，亲身体验这些新车型。
福田汽车整合内燃机和纯电动汽车（BEV）的全球战略，使该公司成为商用车行业的领导者。早在2003年，福田汽车就已经掌握“三电”核心创新技术，推出纯电动、混合动力、氢燃料电池汽车等解决方案，走在新能源技术前沿。其新能源商用车全面通过欧洲整车型式认证（WVTA），销往欧洲、亚太、拉美等主要市场。
在欧洲，福田纯电动卡车也已销往意大利、波兰、西班牙等市场，并与比亚乔（Piaggio）、依维柯（IVECO）等公司开展电动汽车项目合作。在拉美地区，福田汽车交付了1400多辆纯电动巴士，助力智利成为电动巴士普及的领跑者。在亚太地区，福田汽车是大马纯电动巴士的主要供应商，包括新加坡—大马之间的首条跨境纯电动巴士服务路线。此外，其氢能和电动巴士现已在马耳他、墨西哥、澳大利亚、新西兰、印度和埃及投入使用，支持当地的交通系统和机场。
推动区域和全球扩张
通过与全球制造商和供应链合作伙伴的战略合作，福田汽车正在将其“产品出口”战略升级为“产业链国际化”战略之一。这一转型支持了其国际增长，具体表现在2023年商用车出口量创纪录的131,000辆上，同比增长49.1%，使福田汽车连续13年成为中国领先的商用车出口商。
福田汽车在泰国建立了强大的产业集群，并计划进一步拓展至印尼、越南等其他亚太市场。在美洲，该公司正在推进本地化战略，巴西的制造项目将于2025年启动生产。在全球，福田汽车透过股权投资、技术合作等多元合作模式，优先将“合作、共赢”作为其本地化策列的核心。迄今为止，它已在全球建立了22家属地KD工厂，为当地产业发展和创造就业机会做出了贡献。
福田汽车致力于传统能源汽车与新能源汽车相结合的双线战略，以持续的创新驱动增长。此外，通过建立区域制造中心，特别是在泰国，福田汽车旨在引领东盟汽车零部件出口。该公司注重合作、共赢，探索新的商业和合作机遇，努力实现第二个100 万辆汽车的里程碑。
