Foton, which manufactures trucks in partnership with Daimler of Germany, unveiled its full range of light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks and special-purpose vehicles at a launch seminar in Dubai organised by Liberty Automobiles, its exclusive UAE dealer.

James Zhu, vice-director for West Asia and regional manager for GCC of Beiqi Foton Motor Company, said the expansion into GCC markets was part of an ambitious plan to widen Foton’s global footprint and sustain its position as the world’s top truck manufacturer, producing vehicles that use automotive components from world-renowned companies such as Cummins, Bosch, Lotus, Motorola and others.

“We anticipate high demand in the UAE because our products carry the badge of proven quality and are very competitively priced. We tested the GCC markets two years ago with successful forays into Oman and Saudi Arabia, where we have already won large orders,” said Zhu.

Nihad Alkilani, national business manager for fleet and commercial vehicles, Liberty Automobiles, said: “The UAE market is in need of reliable and affordable alternative brands in light and medium commercial vehicles.  Foton is eminently suited to fill this vacuum. Liberty Automobiles, with over 35 years of experience as an award-winning automotive dealership, is fully geared to boost Foton’s market share in the UAE’s commercial vehicles space.”

The Foton-Daimler state-of-the-art plant in Beijing uses 46 robots in the assembly line, takes the vehicles through 36 stringent quality tests and follows processes that make the car body rust free for 10 years, among various other tests and controls.

According to Zhu, Foton’s 2020 Strategy will see the company setting up five independent factories in key locations globally, apart from increasing the number of joint venture factories across the globe.