Southeast Asia Becomes a "Golden Track", Policy Dividends Drive Demand Boom
Since 2025, the accelerated infrastructure investment and the rise of cross-border e-commerce in Southeast Asia have directly stimulated the demand for efficient transportation equipment. Data shows that in the first quarter, China's trailer exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia reached 18,000 units, 12,000 units, and 9,000 units respectively, with YoY growth rates all exceeding 35%. Among them, orders for refrigerated semi-trailers adapted for agricultural product cold chain transportation and low-bed heavy-duty transporters undertaking infrastructure projects accounted for over 60%.
"In the past, Southeast Asian customers focused more on price; now they first ask 'whether it can adapt to the local hot and humid climate' and 'whether it can carry palm oil processing equipment'," said an overseas business director of a leading trailer manufacturer. The customized semi-trailers with "anti-corrosion frame + high-load tires" launched for the Southeast Asian market saw their orders double YoY in the first quarter, and the delivery cycle has been scheduled until the end of June. In addition, the tariff reduction policy under the RCEP agreement continues to play a role: the average tariff for Chinese trailers exported to ASEAN countries has decreased by 12 percentage points compared with 2020, further enhancing the price competitiveness of products.
Technological Breakthroughs in Specialized Models, Breaking the Monopoly of European and American High-End Markets
While traditional general-purpose models maintain steady growth, the technological breakthroughs of Chinese trailer enterprises in the field of specialized models are driving the transformation of export structure towards high added value. In the first quarter of 2025, the export value of refrigerated trailers with intelligent temperature control systems increased by 58% YoY; the export volume of multi-axle heavy-duty transporters capable of carrying over 150 tons exceeded 6,000 units, a 45% increase compared with the same period last year, and they entered the European market in batches for the first time.
"Our independently developed 'lightweight aluminum alloy refrigerated compartment' is 30% lighter than traditional steel compartments, reducing fuel consumption by 15%, while controlling the temperature accuracy within ±1℃, fully meeting the European pharmaceutical cold chain transportation standards," introduced a R&D director of a trailer enterprise. This model has passed the EU ECE R107 certification, and the orders exported to Germany, the Netherlands and other countries reached more than 200 units in the first quarter, breaking the long-term monopoly of European and American enterprises in the high-end refrigerated trailer market.
Enterprises Accelerate Global Layout, Overseas Service Network Becomes the Key to Competition
Facing the export boom, Chinese trailer enterprises are shifting from "pure product sales" to integrated "product + service" competition. In March this year, a leading domestic enterprise built its first overseas after-sales service center in Bangkok, Thailand, which can provide 24-hour spare parts supply and maintenance support; several other enterprises have cooperated with local logistics providers in Southeast Asia to launch "trailer rental + maintenance" packages, reducing the initial investment cost for customers.
"Previously, customers were worried about insufficient after-sales support; now our service stations in Vietnam and Indonesia can achieve 'on-site maintenance within 48 hours', which has become the key to winning large orders," the aforementioned overseas business director revealed. With the improvement of the service network, the customer repurchase rate of enterprises in the Southeast Asian market has increased from 35% in 2023 to 52% in 2025.
Industry experts analyzed that the high growth of China's trailer exports in 2025 benefits not only from the release of overseas market demand, but also from the technological accumulation of enterprises in lightweight, intelligent and customized fields. In the future, with the pilot application of new energy trailers (electric, hydrogen-powered) in overseas ports, parks and other scenarios, China's trailer exports are expected to enter a new stage of "dual-drive" with "technological premium + market growth".
