Ankai Bus

Overview

Ankai Bus is a renowned Chinese bus manufacturing brand affiliated with Anhui Ankai Automobile Co., Ltd. (Stock Code: 000868). Headquartered in Hefei City, Anhui Province, the company was founded in 1966 and listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in July 1997. As a listed enterprise, it specializes in the production of high, medium, and low-end large, medium, and small light buses, special vehicles, and automobile parts. Currently, the company employs more than 2,200 people and has an annual production capacity of 20,000 buses and special vehicles, along with 6,000 sets of new energy motors. It operates two bus whole-vehicle production bases and one automobile parts production base. Ankai is recognized as a national high-tech enterprise, a national innovative pilot enterprise, and a national intellectual property demonstration enterprise. In 2011, the "Ankai Automobile" trademark was honored as a "Chinese Well-Known Trademark."

The company’s product lineup covers various types of highway buses, public transit buses, new energy buses, tour buses, group buses, sightseeing vehicles, and more. Vehicle lengths range from 5.4 meters to 18 meters, serving diverse sectors such as passenger transport, tourism, corporate groups, public transit, school transportation, and double-decker sightseeing. The company produces both large/medium-sized buses and high/medium-end models simultaneously. Its special vehicle category includes box trucks, RVs, medical vehicles, ambulances, refrigerated trucks, and inspection vehicles.

Ankai adopts two technical routes: full-carrying and semi-carrying structures. The full-carrying technology is primarily used for large buses and new energy buses, offering body strength three to six times that of ordinary buses while reducing weight by approximately 8% compared to vehicles of the same class.

History

The development history of Ankai Bus is a testament to its relentless breakthroughs in overcoming "bottleneck" technologies. In 1966, the predecessor of Ankai Bus, the "Anhui Provincial Local State-Owned Feihe Automobile Repair Factory," was established on a wasteland south of Hefei, starting with only 20 old machine tools and a few dilapidated factory buildings.

In the late 1980s, when China's large buses relied heavily on modified truck chassis, compromising safety and comfort, the predecessor of Ankai Bus, Hefei Feihe Automobile Manufacturing Plant, successfully developed 11 models of high-end buses and dedicated chassis for double-decker buses in 1989. This achievement ended the era of large buses in China lacking dedicated chassis. In 1993, Ankai Bus signed a technical cooperation agreement with German manufacturer Kässbohrer to produce the S215HD luxury bus, pioneering the manufacturing of full-carrying luxury coaches in China. In 2008, the full-carrying body invention patent was officially implemented at Ankai Bus, a technology that continues to represent the most advanced safety standards in the domestic bus industry.

Anhui Ankai Automobile Co., Ltd. listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in July 1997. In 2003, Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Co., Ltd. successfully restructured Anhui Ankai Automobile Co., Ltd., becoming the largest shareholder, with Anhui Investment Group Co., Ltd. as the second largest shareholder. That same year, while most bus companies were fiercely competing in the traditional fuel vehicle sector, Ankai Bus took the lead in new energy vehicle R&D, becoming the first domestic enterprise to obtain state approval for new energy vehicle production and product announcements.

In 2010, Hefei Public Transport Route 18, composed of 30 Ankai pure electric buses, officially began operations, marking one of the earliest commercial pure electric bus lines. After six years of operation, the total mileage of this line reached nearly 8 million kilometers, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 9,420 tons. In 2016, the National Electric Bus Whole Vehicle System Integration Engineering Technology Research Center was unveiled at Ankai Bus, becoming China's first national engineering research center in this field.

In 2017, an autonomous driving bus independently developed by Ankai Bus began open-road trial operations in Shenzhen, making it the world's first autonomous driving bus to be tested on public roads. In 2019, Anhui's first hydrogen energy public transport demonstration line opened in Lu'an, with the first batch of Ankai 8.5-meter hydrogen fuel cell buses put into service. In late 2022, Ankai's latest third-generation L4 autonomous driving bus commenced normalized operations on public roads in the Baohe District of Hefei's Economic Development Zone, a significant milestone for the commercial deployment of China's autonomous driving industry. In 2026, Ankai Bus celebrates the milestone year of its 60th anniversary.

Product Portfolio

Ankai Bus product lines cover traditional power, pure electric, hydrogen fuel power, CNG/LNG, hybrid power, and other power platforms. A new energy product matrix covering 5.6 meters to 12 meters has been built, including new energy public buses, business cars, tourism commuter buses, double-decker sightseeing buses, etc. Representative models include: N90E, the first pure electric sightseeing vehicle model built for mountain scenic spots, with strong power and high climbing ability, has moved into Huangshan Scenic Area and entered normalized operation; N71E positioned as a pure electric public and business vehicle model, matching high-power efficient permanent magnet synchronous motor, equipped with new generation large capacity lithium iron phosphate battery, higher charging efficiency and longer range; N11E comprehensively adapts to diverse application scenarios, selects CATL high-performance BC5 battery, equipped with pure electric drive system. The Bostone series in the public and business vehicle field has developed to the third generation so far. The first generation Bostone was launched in 2007, the second generation Bostone K7 was launched 9 years later, and the third generation Bostone N7 was born in 2021, active in the public and business vehicle market. In terms of hydrogen fuel cell buses, Ankai has completed the series development of 8 to 12 meter hydrogen fuel products, built on the full-carrying structure platform, with highly integrated fuel cell systems. In addition, Ankai has also successfully developed pure electric double-decker sightseeing buses, integrating leading technologies such as all-aluminum bodies and wheel hub motors, and has passed EU certification.

Market Performance

IIn 2025, Ankai Bus achieved total bus sales of 8,569 units for the year, representing a year-on-year increase of 46.80%. Its growth rate ranked first among the top ten enterprises in sales, earning it the title of the industry's "growth king." Total operating income for the year amounted to 3.428 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 25.35%. However, the net loss attributable to the parent company was 55.2416 million RMB, reflecting a trend of "rising sales but declining profits." In terms of model structure, large bus sales totaled 3,921 units, a year-on-year increase of 167.28%; medium bus sales reached 3,195 units, up by 31.81% year-on-year; and light bus sales stood at 1,453 units, a year-on-year decrease of 25.33%. In the first quarter of 2026, Ankai Bus recorded cumulative sales of 1,861 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 16.75%. In January 2026, monthly sales were 458 vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 18.36%, while production reached 761 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 35.65%. The primary reasons for the decline in performance were, on one hand, fierce market competition leading to a drop in the comprehensive gross profit margin of products, and on the other hand, special provisions for impairment losses on uncollected subsidies for existing stock.

Technology and Innovation 

Ankai Bus possesses a national enterprise technology center, a national electric bus whole vehicle system integration engineering technology research center, a national and local joint engineering research center for electric bus whole vehicle system development and application, a national postdoctoral scientific research workstation, and a national-recognized whole vehicle performance laboratory. Relying on national-level R&D platforms, the company has achieved fruitful innovation results in whole vehicle system integration, electric drive systems, whole vehicle control, intelligent networking, and other technologies. Authorized patents are 346 items, invention patents are 96 items. In the past three years, it presided over and participated in the formulation of 6 national and industry standards, won 8 provincial and ministerial level science and technology progress awards, and undertook 7 national and provincial major scientific research projects. In 2026, Ankai Bus successfully entered the "2025 Anhui Manufacturing Enterprise Invention Patent Top 50".

In the new energy field, Ankai has completed the development of fourth-generation electric drive systems, fourth-generation whole vehicle control systems, and seventh-generation pure electric bus whole vehicles. It has independently developed core components such as motors, electronic controls, wheel hub motor bridges, CAN bus systems, and battery management systems, and has mass-produced applications. Breakthroughs in invention patents have been made in new energy drive motor shaft end protection structures, whole vehicle torque control, hydrogen fuel system control, electric bus brake pipe intake preheating systems, etc. In the hydrogen fuel cell field, the highest operation mileage of Ankai hydrogen fuel cell bus single vehicle has exceeded 350,000 kilometers, single refueling range exceeds 400 kilometers, refueling takes only 10 to 15 minutes. In the autonomous driving field, Ankai has launched the third-generation Level 4 autonomous driving bus, with the ability of autonomous driving under complex driving conditions on public roads.

Global Presence

Ankai Bus is a benchmark brand for Chinese buses going global under the "Belt and Road" initiative. Its products have been exported to nearly 100 countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Africa. The company has established a global sales network and obtained multiple world-class product certifications. In 2025, Ankai Bus's annual export volume reached 5,034 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 152.84%, firmly ranking its market share at the forefront of the industry.

In terms of core markets, Saudi Arabia serves as a model for Ankai's overseas strategy. As of 2024, cumulative exports to the country exceeded 10,000 vehicles, making Ankai the bus brand with the largest presence in the local market. In 2025, Ankai and the Saudi Naghi Group achieved an annual cumulative export of 1,800 vehicles to Saudi Arabia, marking a further upgrade in cooperation between the two parties.

In the European market, Ankai's pure electric double-decker sightseeing buses have passed EU certification. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, these buses were exported in batches to France, providing green travel services for global tourists. In the Central Asian market, Ankai exported 120 new energy buses to Kyrgyzstan in 2025. In the Americas, 100 units of 12-meter customized natural gas public buses were exported to Monterrey, Mexico, in February 2026.

In the African market, Ankai products have entered South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other countries, with cumulative exports reaching thousands of units. In May 2026, Ankai again exported batches of pure electric public buses to Nigeria, which were custom-designed to withstand the local hot, humid, and sandy climate conditions.

Future Strategy

Looking ahead, Ankai Bus will continue to adhere to its technology-driven development strategy, focusing on the "five-in-one" technological directions of electrification, connectivity, intelligence, low-carbon solutions, and lightweight design. The company aims to promote technological advancements in whole vehicles, new energy systems, and intelligent networking.

In terms of market expansion, the company has established "quality improvement, scale expansion, cost reduction, efficiency enhancement, and structural adjustment" as its core operating policies for 2026. It will continuously advance its "marketing + service" dual-wheel driven localization strategy. In overseas markets, Ankai will adopt a "one country, one policy" approach to customized R&D, building a comprehensive service system that covers pre-sales, sales, and after-sales stages.

2026 marks both the 60th anniversary of Ankai Bus's founding and the inaugural year of the "15th Five-Year Plan." With technological innovation as its engine and market demand as its guide, the company strives to lead the transition of Chinese buses from "product globalization" to "brand globalization" and "system globalization," continuously contributing "Ankai Power" to the green, low-carbon, smart, and efficient transformation of global public transport.