Foton launches GALAXUS heavy trucks and TUNLAND V9 PHEV pickup for African markets at BAIC FOTON Africa conference

Conference announcement and Africa strategy

BAIC FOTON held its Africa Partners Conference, themed 'Drive to Great', at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on October 29, 2026. The manufacturer says nearly 700 participants attended, including distributors, key accounts, industrial partners and media representatives from 42 African countries, alongside senior executives from BAIC Group and BAIC FOTON. ¹

According to the company's own announcement, BAIC FOTON has ranked first in China's commercial vehicle sales for 21 consecutive years and first in exports for 15 consecutive years, with business in more than 140 countries. It reports export sales exceeding 168,500 units from January to September 2026, up 43.6% year on year, and says its African business covers 54 markets with more than 300 authorised service outlets. These are the manufacturer's own figures and have not been independently verified in this coverage. ¹

Wu Zongtian, President of BAIC FOTON International, released what the company describes as an internationalisation and Africa regional strategy built on three pillars: localised product portfolio, localised business ecosystem, and localised manufacturing and operations. BAIC FOTON says it will deploy multiple technology routes including fuel, natural gas, battery electric and plug-in hybrid, using South Africa to activate growth in Southern Africa and drive expansion in East, North and West Africa. ¹

Deliveries, agreements and localised manufacturing

BAIC FOTON says delivery of 1,000 heavy trucks in Ghana and 800 heavy trucks in Zambia was completed at the conference with customer representatives, joined by Chang Rui, CEO of BAIC Group and Chairman of BAIC FOTON. Separately, it says agreements were signed for new energy product projects of 200 units in Mozambique, 100 in Ethiopia, 100 in Kenya, and a batch project in Zambia, covering mining, agriculture and other industries. ¹

The manufacturer describes a regional layout of 16 localised factories in Africa and says Dai Hongkai, Party Secretary of BAIC FOTON International, completed six localised manufacturing cooperation signings with partners in Tanzania, Kenya and Zimbabwe. It also cites vehicle purchase support cooperation with WesBank and an African parts centre warehouse cooperation with DP World. These are announced agreements and cooperation arrangements; the announcement does not document expenditure amounts, production capacity or actual output figures for these arrangements. ¹

BAIC FOTON also announced the Africa leg of the FOTON GALAXUS Global Experience, with Luo Yunjie, VP of BAIC FOTON International, presenting flags to distributor representatives from Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe, marking a relay of the activity across key African markets. ¹

GALAXUS R5 and C5 heavy trucks

BAIC FOTON says the GALAXUS R5 and GALAXUS C5 heavy trucks were officially launched in Africa at the conference, describing them as developed for complex African operating conditions and suitable for long-distance logistics and engineering construction scenarios, balancing power performance, reliability and fuel economy. The announcement is promotional in character and does not specify engines, drivelines, payloads, gross combination masses or pricing for either model, and South African outlets reporting the event have not published such detail for the trucks. ¹

TUNLAND V9 PHEV: powertrain, dimensions and capability

Citizen motoring, whose Charl Bosch attended the unveiling in Nelson Mandela Bay on the evening of October 29, reports that Foton introduced the plug-in hybrid version of its flagship Tunland V9 as a rival to the BYD Shark, JAC T9 and the incoming Chery Grootman, with sales due in early 2027, though no exact launch date was confirmed at the event. Creamer Media's Engineering News also reported the launch of the Tunland V9 PHEV and the two new Galaxus models for Africa on October 30, 2026, by Tasneem Bulbulia, corroborating the event and the model line-up. ²³

According to Citizen, the PHEV's exterior changes over the diesel V9 are minor: a second charging flap and PHEV badges on the front doors. Dimensions are unchanged: 5,617mm length, 3,355mm wheelbase, 1,910mm height and 2,090mm width. Ground clearance increases by 10mm to 250mm, the 3,500kg towing capacity is unchanged, and claimed wading depth increases by 100mm to 800mm. No payload figure was announced; the diesel carries 1,000kg. ²

Citizen reports the Foton-Cummins joint-venture Aucan 2.0-litre turbodiesel mild-hybrid engine is replaced by an in-house 2.0-litre turbo-petrol producing 140kW/320Nm alone, paired with a 32.8-kWh battery powering an electric motor on each axle for a claimed combined 350kW/800Nm. Drive goes to all four wheels through what the publication describes as a segment-first four-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission, with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 7.9 seconds and claimed DC charging from 30 to 80% in 30 minutes. These are claimed figures presented at the unveiling, not independently tested results. ²

On Citizen's like-for-like comparison, the claimed 100km electric range is 4km greater than the incoming Chery Grootman PHEV's claimed figure, and the combined output is identical to the Grootman's plug-in hybrid 2.5-litre turbodieel. The BYD Shark Performance develops the same 350kW with 700Nm combined and a smaller 29.5-kWh battery, while the JAC T9 PHEV combines a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol, 31.2-kWh battery and dual motors for 360kW/674Nm. All figures are manufacturer claims as reported by Citizen; no independent test results for these vehicles appear in this coverage. ²

Citizen lists confirmed equipment for the V9 PHEV: 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, imitation leather upholstery, keyless entry, push-button start, electric, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control, wireless smartphone charging, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14.6-inch infotainment display, panoramic sunroof, 15 driving modes, surround-view camera, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist and lane departure warning. Ten colours are offered, including model-exclusive Ridge Grey, Crater Black and Dune Gold. Exact specification and pricing are to be announced closer to the 2027 sales start. ²

On pricing, Citizen notes the PHEV is expected to carry a premium over the R799,900 asked for the diesel V9 LTD on which it is based, with the PHEV price to be announced in the new year. That figure is a South African list price as reported by Citizen; Australian pricing and availability are not addressed by any source here and cannot be inferred from this announcement. ²

What is and is not established

The event, the three model launches for African markets, the delivery and agreement announcements, and the localisation strategy are all drawn from BAIC FOTON's own conference announcement, corroborated in outline by independent South African reporting from Citizen and Creamer Media's Engineering News. The trucks' technical specifications, the PHEV's South African pricing, and any quantified manufacturing investment or output beyond the announced agreements remain unpublished. All figures above are the claims or announcements of the parties named; none represent independent verification or first-hand testing by this publication. ¹²³