Foton Motor and COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers Hold the Unveiling Ceremony for Their Joint Venture, Demonstrating the New Model of Integration between Automakers and Shipping

Source: Global Network

On March 26, Foton Motor and COSCO Shipping Special Transportation officially unveiled Guangzhou Yuanfu Automotive Supply Chain Co., Ltd., a joint venture, with ro-ro vessels emblazoned with the Foton Motor and COSCO Shipping logos officially delivered. At the same time, 600 Foton pickup trucks lined up neatly at the port, set to be the first batch of large-scale export orders after the joint venture’s capacity system is established, heading to the South American market aboard the newly delivered “Kaiyuan Kou” vessel.

From strategic layout to implementation, two key actions are synchronized, marking a milestone upgrade in Foton Motor’s deepening of its “comprehensive internationalization” strategy. It also signifies that Foton Motor has officially established a self-controllable, stable, and efficient global shipping supply chain system, promoting a qualitative upgrade from “product going abroad” to “system going abroad.”

With strategic foresight, breaking through core pain points of going abroad

As a leading brand that has ranked first in overseas sales of commercial vehicles in China for 15 consecutive years, Foton Motor has consistently cultivated overseas markets with a global perspective. So far, cumulative overseas sales have exceeded 1.25 million units, with a sales and service network covering over 140 countries and regions worldwide.

By 2025, Foton Motor aims for overseas sales of 164,500 units, continuing to expand its overseas footprint: the Brazilian localized manufacturing base has been completed and put into production, achieving a key layout for localized manufacturing in the South American market; the Thailand factory’s local manufacturing radiates Southeast Asia, completing significant practices in advancing the “localized production + regional distribution” strategy, with steady increases in Southeast Asian market penetration; the South Africa factory has achieved mass production of AMT heavy trucks and pickup CKDs, continuously strengthening localized operational capacity in the African market. Meanwhile, the new energy business has become a core new engine leading Foton Motor in the global market, with new energy product sales expected to exceed 101,200 units in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 87.21%, far surpassing the industry average, with the scale of new energy product exports continuing to rise.

As the scale of exports steadily expands and the global business footprint continues to grow, traditional fragmented space procurement models have led to issues such as price fluctuations, uncontrollable space, and unstable delivery cycles, becoming common bottlenecks restricting Chinese commercial vehicle enterprises from achieving high-quality international expansion. To firmly establish a foothold in the global market and cultivate it long-term, it is essential to have control over the supply chain.

The establishment of a joint venture with COSCO Shipping Special Transportation is a proactive strategic layout made by Foton Motor based on global development needs. Moving away from the traditional single model of logistics outsourcing, it forms a long-term strategic community of interest with COSCO Shipping Special Transportation—leveraging COSCO Shipping Special Transportation’s mature global shipping operation system, extensive global route resources, and full-link logistics service capabilities, combined with Foton Motor’s large-scale export order volume and comprehensive overseas market network, truly achieving complementary advantages and mutual empowerment.

Empowering through a system, solidifying the foundation for global development

The establishment of Yuanfu Supply Chain Company is not only a realization of cooperation but also a comprehensive upgrade of Foton Motor’s global supply chain system. By deeply integrating the resource advantages of both parties, Foton Motor can secure long-term stable core capacity, transforming logistics costs from passive response variables into proactive strategic investments, providing stronger support for global development.

Relying on this platform, Foton Motor will obtain customized shipping services for complete vehicles, KD parts, components, and general cargo based on the actual needs of overseas regional markets. The deeper significance lies in that self-controllable long-distance shipping capacity will bring threefold empowerment to the company: on the delivery end, effectively hedging against cyclical fluctuations in the international shipping market, allowing global customers to enjoy a more timely and reliable delivery experience; on the cost end, enhancing price competitiveness of products in overseas markets and safeguarding profit margins through deeply integrated long-term cooperation that consolidates full-link logistics expenses; on the strategic end, leveraging COSCO Shipping Special Transportation’s global logistics network and the continuous expansion of its 7,500-vehicle LNG clean energy ro-ro fleet, Foton Motor’s “maritime supply chain” will be deeply embedded in the global route system, whether in deepening cooperation in key areas of the “Belt and Road” or exploring emerging markets in Latin America and Africa, will have a more relaxed layout rhythm.

The 600 Foton pickup trucks ready for delivery at the vessel handover site are a testament to the implementation of this supply chain system, demonstrating the direct reflection of Foton pickup trucks’ product strength being highly recognized in the South American market, and marking that the customized capacity system of the joint venture has officially entered the application stage.

With collective strength, sailing into the deep blue waters of globalization

In response to the unveiling of the joint venture company, Foton Motor’s Vice President Zhu Youfu stated that the joint venture with COSCO Shipping Special Transportation is an inevitable choice for the current scale of the company’s overseas business development. This is not just a cooperation, but an upgrade of the comprehensive internationalization strategy.

Zhang Chi, Deputy General Manager of COSCO Shipping Special Transportation, stated that COSCO Shipping Special Transportation is committed to safeguarding the global development of Chinese enterprises. Strengthening cooperation with Foton Motor will establish a new benchmark for synergy between automotive and shipping, contributing to the construction of a safe and resilient supply chain for Chinese automotive exports.

Standing at a new starting point of development at the thirty-year mark, Foton Motor will use Yuanfu Supply Chain Company as a fulcrum and a self-controllable global shipping supply chain system as support, consistently anchoring its unshakable “comprehensive internationalization” strategy. This “maritime golden channel” under our control will carry the ambitions and strengths of China’s leading commercial vehicle makers, efficiently connecting global markets and serving global users.