China's natural gas heavy-duty truck market achieved a strong start to 2026, with actual sales reaching 11,000 units in January, marking a 43% increase compared to the same period last year. In terms of market share, five companies each held over 10% of the natural gas heavy-duty truck market in January. The top two performers, FAW Jiefang (000800.SZ) and Sinotruk (000951.SZ), both secured market shares exceeding 20%, at 27.6% and 23.2% respectively. Companies ranked third to fifth—Foton, Dongfeng, and Shaanxi Auto—achieved monthly shares of 17.4%, 16.8%, and 11.9%. BAIC Heavy-Duty Truck sold 278 units, ranking sixth with a 2.5% market share, while all other manufacturers sold fewer than 100 units, each holding less than 0.5% of the market.
Data reveals that five companies sold over 1,000 natural gas heavy-duty trucks in January 2026. FAW Jiefang led the monthly sales chart with 3,021 units, maintaining its position as the champion. Sinotruk followed with 2,548 units. Foton, Dongfeng, and Shaanxi Auto sold 1,903, 1,840, and 1,303 units respectively, with minimal gaps between these adjacent competitors.
The January sales figure of 11,000 units represents a 12% decrease from December 2025 but a significant 43% increase from January 2025. This year-on-year growth rate expanded by 12 percentage points compared to the previous month's increase of 31%. The natural gas heavy-duty truck market has now recorded growth for six consecutive months up to January 2026.
Historical monthly sales trends over the past five years show that January sales for natural gas heavy-duty trucks have traditionally been modest, never exceeding 10,000 units prior to 2026. The 11,000 units sold in January 2026 therefore represent not only the highest January sales in the past five years but also a historical peak for the month. However, objectively speaking, while the market achieved a record-breaking start, sustaining this consecutive growth momentum will be challenging.
In January, the overall heavy-duty truck market recorded actual sales of 48,400 units, a 44% year-on-year increase. The natural gas segment's 43% growth rate was slightly lower than the overall market's expansion. Natural gas trucks accounted for 22.65% of the total heavy-duty truck sales in January, a nearly 8-percentage-point increase from December's 14.90%, though slightly down from the full-year 2025 share of 24.83%.
Regionally, natural gas heavy-duty trucks were registered and operational in all 31 provincial-level administrative regions in January 2026, though distribution remained highly uneven. Hebei, Shandong, Sichuan, Ningxia, Henan, and Xinjiang were the top six regions for terminal sales. Hebei led with a 12.9% share, followed by Shandong (9.1%), Sichuan (8.7%), Ningxia (8.1%), Henan (7.8%), and Xinjiang (7.8%).
In the competitive landscape, January 2026 saw five companies exceed 1,000 units in sales. The market overall grew 43% year-on-year, adding over 3,200 units compared to January 2025. Among the top ten manufacturers by sales, seven experienced growth while three saw declines. The top six companies all achieved sales increases, with Sinotruk, Foton, and BAIC Heavy-Duty Truck outperforming the market average with growth rates of 66%, 125%, and 112% respectively. FAW Jiefang, Dongfeng, and Shaanxi Auto achieved double-digit growth, while Beiben recorded a modest 6% increase. Conversely, the declining companies saw reductions exceeding double digits, with the most severe drop being an 85% year-on-year decrease in January sales.
Compared to the year-end 2025 rankings, the market structure shifted in January 2026. While the top two players—FAW Jiefang and Sinotruk—maintained their positions, as did BAIC Heavy-Duty Truck and CAMC Heavy-Duty Truck at sixth and seventh, and Dayun Heavy-Duty Truck at tenth, Foton climbed two spots to rank third for the month, and Beiben rose one position to eighth.
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