MAN Trucks is to launch a new heavy truck into China and emerging markets next year.
The Man Group will build the new truck in co-operation with its Chinese Sinotruck partner, although the vehicle will not bear either existing companies’ branding.
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“This will be a completely new brand – it will neither be Sinotruk nor MAN,” a MAN Group spokesman in Beijing told just-auto.
“This brand will have a new truck series based on the TGA series [which] will be sold in the first instance in China, but of course we are thinking of selling it to neighbouring countries.”
To that end, outside China, the two manufacturers are evaluating most of Asia as well as Africa.
MAN Group insists Sinotruk is not a joint venture, but that its 25% plus one share stake in the company makes the Chinese operator a strategic partner.
“We are the first western truck company or even automotive company to invest into a Chinese partner,” said the spokesman.
“It is not a joint venture as many other competitors – we have directly invested. This was possible as Sinotruk is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange – that is important as if not we would have to go by a joint venture structure.”
MAN Group receives a dividend each year from Sinotruck and the German manufacturer conceded it was “doing well” given the strength of the Chinese stock market. It invested EUR560m (US$713.3m) into Sinotruck last year.
