Eye-Catching Export Data, Significant Differentiation in Regional Market Demand
According to the latest data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, from January to June 2025, the year-on-year growth rate of China's trailer exports was 9.2 percentage points higher than that in the same period of 2024, and the growth rate of export value reached 31.5%, 18 percentage points higher than the average growth rate of global trailer trade. From a regional perspective, market demand shows obvious differentiation characteristics:
• Southeast Asian Market: Remains the largest export destination, with exports reaching 62,000 units in the first half of the year, accounting for 33.2%. Among them, economical stake semi-trailers and engineering low-bed semi-trailers are in the highest demand, mainly serving local agricultural logistics and infrastructure projects. Relying on cost-performance advantages, Chinese enterprises have seized over 60% of the market share.
• European and American Markets: Intelligent trailers have become a breakthrough. The export volume of van semi-trailers equipped with T-Box remote monitoring and automatic weighing systems increased by 47% year-on-year. The EU market's preference for "lightweight + low-emission" trailers has driven the export value of aluminum alloy trailers to surge by 58% year-on-year. Currently, China's intelligent trailers account for 19% of the European mid-end market.
• Middle Eastern Market: Demand for dangerous goods and cold-chain trailers has surged, with export volume increasing by 38% year-on-year in the first half. Explosion-proof tank trailers adapted to high-temperature environments and -25℃ constant-temperature refrigerated trailers have become mainstream. Domestic enterprises have quickly seized the market through customized designs (such as anti-corrosion coatings and high-efficiency refrigeration units).
Technological Upgrading Becomes Core Competitiveness for Exports, Lightweight and Intelligence Become Standard Configuration
Domestic trailer enterprises have continued to increase R&D investment, with industry R&D expenditure growing by 22% year-on-year in the first half of 2025. The achievements of technological upgrading have been directly transformed into export advantages:
• Popularization of Lightweight Technology: The application rate of Q690 high-strength steel, aluminum alloy wheels, and composite material compartments has increased to 42%, reducing the average weight of semi-trailers by 1.2-1.8 tons and lowering fuel consumption per 100 kilometers by 8%-12%. This perfectly meets the "low-carbon transportation" policies in Europe and America and the "lightweight demand for mountain road transportation" in Southeast Asia.
• Popularization of Intelligent Configuration: Functions that were previously only used in high-end markets, such as tire pressure monitoring, automatic brake clearance adjustment, and cargo status monitoring, have gradually become "standard configurations" for export trailers. Some enterprises have also launched multi-language intelligent terminals adapted to overseas customers, supporting remote management functions such as real-time positioning and fault early warning, which significantly enhance product added value.
Policy Dividends Escort, Compliance Promotes Improvement of Export Quality
Driven by both domestic policies and international certifications, the "compliance" advantage of China's trailer exports has become more prominent:
• Domestic "New Overload Control Regulations" and "New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan" have forced enterprises to upgrade production standards. In 2025, 100% of exported trailers meet the safety and environmental protection requirements of target markets, such as the EU ADR standard for dangerous goods transportation and the US DOT standard for braking systems. The product certification pass rate has increased by 15 percentage points compared with 2024.
• The "Single Window" customs clearance facilitation policy for export enterprises has shortened the customs clearance time for trailer exports to 1.5 working days. Combined with the accelerated export tax rebate policy in some regions, it has effectively reduced the cross-border trade costs of enterprises, and the average profit margin of export enterprises increased by 2.3 percentage points in the first half of the year.
Leading Enterprises Accelerate Global Layout, Supply Chain Coordination Capability Enhanced
Facing opportunities in overseas markets, leading domestic trailer enterprises are accelerating their global layout: CIMC Vehicles has built Southeast Asia's first intelligent trailer production base in Thailand, realizing "local production + regional radiation"; Sinotruk has cooperated with European logistics enterprises to launch customized cold-chain trailers that meet EU standards, with the first order reaching 500 units. At the same time, the localization rate of core components has increased to 89%. The independent supply of key parts such as high-strength steel and intelligent terminals not only reduces dependence on imports but also enables rapid production adjustments according to overseas demand. The supply chain response speed has increased by 30% compared with 2024.
Currently, the global trailer market is in a period of demand upgrading. With comprehensive advantages in technology, cost, and customization, Chinese enterprises are accelerating to seize the global mid-to-high-end market share, injecting sustained growth momentum into the import and export trailer industry
