According to the Passenger Car Association, the pickup truck market sold 52,000 units in December 2025, an increase of 8.8% year-on-year, reaching a high level not seen in nearly five years.
From January to December 2025, the cumulative sales in the pickup truck market reached 589,000 units, reflecting an 11.8% growth compared to the previous year.
Production of pickup trucks in December 2025 stood at 48,000 units, up 5.2% year-on-year, positioning it at a medium-to-high level within the past five years.
Cumulative production for the January to December 2025 period totaled 575,000 units, marking a 14% increase year-on-year.
Great Wall Motor Company Limited has consistently maintained its strong leadership position in the pickup truck sector, demonstrating stable performance both domestically and internationally.
Boosted by sustained growth in exports, companies including Great Wall Motor Company Limited, Changan Automobile, SAIC Maxus, Jianghuai Automobile, and Zhengzhou Nissan performed robustly.
In the domestic pickup truck retail market, brands such as Great Wall Pickup, Jiangling Motors, Zhengzhou Nissan, RADAR Auto, and Jiangxi Isuzu showed relatively strong performance, maintaining the domestic market structure of "one dominant player and several strong competitors."
The primary regional markets for pickup trucks are concentrated in the Southwest and Northwest, where demand from western regions remains substantial.
In December 2025, demand from the Southwest and Northwest regions accounted for 46% of total national demand, establishing these two areas as core markets, while performance was weaker in the four provinces/municipalities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, and Hebei.
As the high growth rate of new energy pickup trucks slows, their contribution to boosting the overall pickup market has weakened compared to the trend observed in electric logistics vehicles.
Pickup truck exports in December 2025 reached 28,000 units nationwide, increasing by 12% year-on-year but declining 7% month-on-month, with the proportion of industry exports remaining at a high level.
Cumulative exports from January to December 2025 totaled 300,000 units, a significant 21% increase year-on-year.
Exports accounted for 45% of total pickup truck sales in 2024, and this figure rose to 50% for the January-December 2025 period, indicating accelerated growth and strong performance for Chinese domestic pickup truck exports.
Sales of new energy pickup trucks in December 2025 were 6,000 units, down 3% year-on-year and 30% month-on-month; however, cumulative sales from January to December reached 73,000 units, surging by 243%, significantly outperforming the overall growth rate of the pickup truck market.
Due to a surge in demand for electric light trucks for logistics purposes, electrification is evidently the most effective way for commercial vehicles to gain improved road access rights.
With the ongoing development of electrification and consumer-oriented features, the growth potential of the pickup truck market is gradually improving.
Breaking down the December 2025 new energy pickup truck sales: Geely's RADAR electric pickup sold 2,092 units, BYD's pickup truck overseas sales were 1,200 units, Zhengzhou Nissan sold 1,081 units, Changan's range-extended pickup sold 753 units, and Jiangling's new energy pickup sold 285 units, while other manufacturers also contributed a certain volume of new energy vehicles.
Supported by the initiation and market cultivation of the domestic new energy pickup truck sector, China's pickup truck market is expected to develop rapidly in the future to meet both domestic and international demand.
Note: The data in this article is based on the final version of the monthly report (Commercial Vehicle Production and Sales Express) from the Passenger Car Market Information Joint Conference of the China Automobile Dealers Association.
Comments