Drive to Great | BAIC FOTON Africa Partners Conference Successfully Held, Accelerating Localization Strategy

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, Oct. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 29, the BAIC FOTON Africa Partners Conference, themed "Drive to Great," was held at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Nearly 700 participants attended, including Chinese and African political and business representatives, senior executives from BAIC Group and BAIC FOTON, and distributors, key accounts, industrial partners, and media from 42 African countries.

Strategic anchoring and deeper whole-value-chain cooperation

BAIC FOTON has ranked first in China's commercial vehicle sales for 21 consecutive years and first in exports for 15 consecutive years, covering more than 140 countries and regions. From January to September 2026, export sales exceeded 168,500 units, up 43.6% year on year. In Africa, its business covers 54 markets with more than 300 authorized service outlets. At the conference, Chang Rui, CEO of BAIC Group and Chairman of the Board of BAIC FOTON, and customer representatives completed delivery of 1,000 heavy trucks in Ghana and 800 heavy trucks in Zambia. Wu Zongtian, President of BAIC FOTON International, and customer representatives signed new energy product projects: 200 units in Mozambique, 100 in Ethiopia, 100 in Kenya, and a batch project in Zambia, covering green transition scenarios in mining, agriculture, and other industries. Wu Zongtian released BAIC FOTON's internationalization and Africa regional strategy report, proposing three pillars: localized product portfolio, localized business ecosystem, and localized manufacturing and operations. BAIC FOTON will deploy fuel, natural gas, battery electric, and plug-in hybrid technology routes, using South Africa to activate Southern Africa and drive coordinated breakthroughs in East Africa, North Africa, and West Africa.

Product matrix expanded and localized manufacturing advanced

Two heavy trucks, GALAXUS R5 and GALAXUS C5, were officially launched in Africa, and the TUNLAND V PHEV pickup was released for Africa, expanding supply for heavy-duty logistics and multi-purpose mobility. Relying on 16 localized factories in Africa, BAIC FOTON continued manufacturing cooperation. At the strategic signing session, Dai Hongkai, Party Secretary of BAIC FOTON International, completed six localized manufacturing cooperation signings with partners in Tanzania, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. BAIC FOTON also advanced vehicle purchase support cooperation with WesBank and an African parts center warehouse cooperation with DP World, providing full-chain support for African users.

Market promotion deepened and GALAXUS set sail in Africa

The conference held a partners award ceremony, recognizing outstanding partners in key account development, new energy promotion, aftermarket services, and distributor cooperation. Luo Yunjie, VP of BAIC FOTON International, announced the launch of the Africa leg of the FOTON GALAXUS Global Experience and presented flags to distributor representatives from Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. BAIC FOTON will continue working with local partners to deepen localized manufacturing and industrial collaboration, improve regional supply and operation service systems, and jointly embark on the new journey of "Drive to Great."

SOURCE BAIC FOTON