At SOLUTRANS, the arrival of Asian manufacturers has been anything but a spectacular breakthrough. Unlike the passenger car market, where Chinese brands are now a common sight on the roads, the exhibition showed no dramatic wave on the commercial vehicle side. Is this the calm before the storm? Registration figures tell a story that is more methodical than headline-grabbing. Here is a look at the key points from the chapter that SOLUTRANS' 2025 Review & 2027 Outlook devotes to this Asian offensive and its implications for the road freight transport sector.
Published on Oct 1,2026 at 2:32 PM | Updated on Oct 1,2026 at 3:12 PM

On the car market, a "critical mass" already reached

It's hard to ignore: Chinese brands (MG, BYD, Leapmotor, X-Peng, Maxus, Lynk & Co) already account for 2.5% of the French new car market in the first half of 2025, according to AAA Data. On the corporate fleet segment, the growth is even sharper: +113% year-on-year compared to H1 2024, according to the Arval Mobility Observatory, bringing them to 1.2% of fleet registrations.

This growth is nevertheless being held back by several European regulations, including customs duties and the purchasing preference linked to the eco-score. A constraint that a number of industrial projects currently underway — notably in Hungary and Spain — could well ease in the coming years. The SOLUTRANS review provides details on these plans and their timelines.

Trucks: still a marginal presence, but far from insignificant

Out of the 44,119 registrations of heavy goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes recorded in France in 2025, Asian brands account for 381 units. Japan dominates by far with 322 units (led by Fuso and Isuzu Trucks), but China is gaining ground with 59 units, driven notably by Sany and iJAC.

One figure worth remembering: Sany, taking a highly methodical approach, makes no secret of its ambition to move beyond construction trucks and grow its sales of long-haul tractor units. A maintenance agreement with a major European network is, according to the review, a strong signal of this momentum to come.

Light commercial vehicles: Asian brands' traditional playing field

The Asian offensive in the LCV segment is nothing new: it began with Japanese brands as far back as 1983, with assembly plants set up in Europe (Nissan Cabstar in Spain, Mitsubishi Canter in Portugal). A technical architecture shared by these pioneers — the forward-control cab — is now being adopted by Chinese manufacturers.

In this segment, Maxus (SAIC Group) has made a notable entrance with 537 units registered over eleven months, closing in on well-established Japanese brands. On the South Korean side, Kia's return drew particular attention at SOLUTRANS 2025, with a stated target of 2,000 annual registrations. The review looks in detail at each brand's positioning and preferred route to market for establishing itself in this segment.

Brands with a "European disguise"

Beyond openly Chinese brands, the SOLUTRANS review highlights a less visible phenomenon: several manufacturers presented as European are in fact built on Asian industrial foundations. A tractor unit recently unveiled at SOLUTRANS by a Turkish brand is reportedly based, under a different livery, on an existing Chinese model. The review examines this practice brand by brand, helping commercial vehicle professionals better identify the true origin of the products they come across at dealerships.

Why Europe is becoming a priority target

The review's conclusion is unambiguous: faced with a depressed domestic Chinese market and steep tariffs imposed by the United States, Europe has become a priority export target for Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturers — a trend set to accelerate in the run-up to SOLUTRANS 2027.

What the industry should take away for 2027

In many respects, the Chinese strategy in Europe mirrors the one deployed by Japanese manufacturers forty years ago: local industrial establishment and partnerships with European bodybuilders. Some attempts have already failed, while others have succeeded over the long term, preserving local facilities and jobs. This leaves a fundamental question for the entire road freight transport sector: that of control over components and the preservation of European know-how.

SOLUTRANS' "2025 Review & 2027 Outlook" offers a comprehensive analysis of this market realignment, with country-by-country implantation strategies and industrial partnerships to watch ahead of the show's next edition.

Download the full review