Exclusive Interview with DeepWay: How Can New Force Heavy Trucks Compete in the International Market?

[First Commercial Vehicle Network Original]

Currently, the commercial vehicle industry is undergoing profound changes. The wave of new energy is reshaping the competitive landscape not only in the domestic market but also pushing the overseas battlefield to the strategic core of all automakers. From carbon emission regulations in Europe to energy transition demands in Southeast Asia, the global market demand for electric heavy trucks is moving from sporadic testing to scaled germination. However, facing policy barriers, infrastructure differences, and user habits in different countries and regions, how to go global, when to scale the global presence, and with what products and ecosystem has become a must-answer question for every Chinese commercial vehicle enterprise.

Recently, Zhao Minyu, General Manager of DeepWay International, accepted an exclusive interview with First Commercial Vehicle Network, providing systematic responses to key market concerns such as how Chinese new force heavy truck enterprises make their move in the international market and why they have defined 2026 as the brand's "Year of Going Global".

DeepWay debuts at Hannover Motor Show

Internal and External Factors Resonate; 2026 is the "Year of Going Global"

"2024-2025 was more about market exploration and validation; 2026 is DeepWay's true Year of Going Global." At the beginning of the interview, Zhao Minyu gave a clear judgment. This is not a slogan made on a whim but a key step DeepWay will inevitably take after years of deep cultivation overseas.

Speaking from DeepWay's perspective, Zhao Minyu admitted that the company had begun pilot output of small batches of products overseas in 2024, while in 2025, the focus was on "surveying" the global market and product research. Combined with tempering in China, the global most competitive market with the most rich application scenarios for electric heavy trucks, DeepWay has completed comprehensive validation from technology, products to the supply chain. Zhao Minyu emphasized that the core of the strategic upgrade in 2026 lies in DeepWay having already possessed the complete capability to "understand different regional needs and define localized products based on a unified technology foundation". This is not simply replicating mature domestic models overseas, but deep customization development by the company facing the global market.

DeepWay International General Manager Zhao Minyu

In recent years, the external market environment for new energy heavy trucks has changed rapidly. Affected by factors such as geopolitical issues, global oil prices have fluctuated violently, and logistics cost uncertainty has risen, causing many countries to start examining the transformation of transport tools from the height of energy security. Zhao Minyu observed that this year, the real demand overseas for electric heavy trucks has seen a "very significant rise". If previously overseas customers were more in testing and waiting on electric heavy trucks, then now in some regions, germination of scaled application has appeared based on TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) calculations and energy independence needs.

In DeepWay's Pre-IPO financing round exceeding $310 million this year, three overseas capitals joined simultaneously, providing multi-dimensional impetus for accelerating going global. In Zhao Minyu's view, what these top-tier investment institutions bring is not only funds but also localized industrial ecosystem resources—from financial leasing, insurance to logistics operations and even localized production resources. All these provide DeepWay with "entry tickets" to take root in the local market. Thus, from localized product definition capability, external market demand explosion to localized ecosystem, all are ready. The convergence of these three forces prompted DeepWay to officially define 2026 as the "Year of Going Global".

No "One Vehicle Conquers the World"; Deep Customization Based on Unified Technology Foundation

Facing distinct regulations, climates, working conditions, and user habits in different countries, how do Chinese new energy heavy trucks break the curse of "not adapting"? The answer given by Zhao Minyu is: persist in not doing "one product for the world"; DeepWay will conduct deep localized customization based on forward R&D of a unified technology foundation.

This is exactly DeepWay's core advantage. As a new energy heavy truck technology enterprise focused on forward R&D, DeepWay's vehicle models are not "fuel-to-electric conversion". Their whole vehicle architecture, core components, and underlying algorithms are all native electrification designs from 0 to 1, greatly improving safety and economy, and making intelligent driving functions faster in response and more precise in control. Software and hardware integration allows their internal R&D team and highly controllable supply chain to respond quickly to customized needs of the overseas market without overly relying on external suppliers.

"What we are building overseas is not a pure sales team, but a sales + product integrated team." Zhao Minyu introduced. The core logic of this model lies in not taking a domestic finalized whole vehicle and requiring overseas customers to adapt, but going down to local real logistics scenarios and reverse defining products.

For example, targeting West Africa's high temperature and rain, and severe salt spray corrosion in coastal areas, DeepWay specifically strengthened air conditioning refrigeration capability, raised chassis salt spray corrosion resistance performance to 480 hours salt spray test standards, and adopted double-layer spray process to strengthen anti-corrosion performance. At the same time, targeting complex local road conditions, motor rated power was increased by 15%. In right-hand drive vehicle markets such as Thailand and Malaysia, DeepWay developed compatible models and put them into operation; in Australia and New Zealand markets, products have passed certification and received positive feedback from cold chain customers, achieving excellent economy in short-distance cold chain transportation.

Currently, DeepWay's global map covers multiple regional markets such as Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Latin America, and Africa. Zhao Minyu believes that entering Europe, this regulation highland, is to lay a "good foundation" for the global market; and in different regions, they are all doing the same thing: relying on the product foundation verified on a large scale in China, doing good local adaptation, finding matching scenarios, calculating economic accounts clearly for customers, and creating real value.

No "Predator"; Value Output and Ecosystem Co-building

When discussing DeepWay's overseas market map, Zhao Minyu divides it into different strategic levels: Europe is the long-term strategic core, aiming to benchmark global highest standards and establish discourse power; Australia and Middle East are markets for value validation and model innovation, trying new games like super-large electricity capacity models and super-fast charging trunk lines; Southeast Asia is regarded as a "China-like Market". Although price competition is fierce, through deep cultivation of scenarios and doing customization, it can still achieve breakthroughs with technology and supply chain advantages.

But more importantly, DeepWay's internationalization has been endowed with a layer of industry expectation beyond business. Zhao Minyu repeatedly emphasized in the interview, "Chinese enterprises should do value output, not just product output". He called for the industry to follow the "coalition" strategy of Japanese and South Korean car manufacturers going overseas back then, and avoid bringing fierce domestic "involution-style" price wars overseas.

"Overseas, our true competitors are not Chinese friendly businesses, but fuel vehicles." Zhao Minyu pointed out incisively. The biggest mission for Chinese electric heavy trucks at present is to prove the TCO advantage of electric vehicles through competitive products and mature technology, to fight for the market share of traditional fuel vehicles, and jointly make the cake of the overseas electric heavy truck market bigger. This is also one of DeepWay's goals for going global.

Conclusion

"Coexisting with the global industrial ecosystem" is the core concept DeepWay conveyed in this interview. For them, the internationalization road is not only a natural overflow after standing firm in the Chinese market but also an industrial upgrade from product output to output of technology, industry, and standards in all aspects. Through the strategy of "China Validation, Global Customization, Local Symbiosis", DeepWay attempts to play an enabler rather than a "predator" in the overseas market. By supporting local industry ecosystems and integrating into local supply chains, let Chinese advanced electrification supply chain capabilities become a stable force under the global energy turmoil pattern. This may be the best path exploration for Chinese commercial vehicle enterprises from "Going Out" to "Going Deep".