GAC Hino

GAC Hino (renamed to "GAC Lingcheng New Energy Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd." in April 2025, abbreviated as "GAC Lingcheng") is a leading commercial vehicle manufacturing enterprise in China. It was originally a joint venture established on 28 November 2007, with Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. and Hino Motors, Ltd. each contributing 50% of the capital, headquartered at Conghua Mingzhu Industrial Park, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. The company reorganised Guangzhou Yangcheng Automobile Co., Ltd. and Shenyang Shengfei Hino Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd. according to the "one project, two bases" model, with registered capital of 2.22 billion RMB, covering an area of 530,400 square metres, and a planned heavy truck capacity of 20,000 units per year. The Conghua Base primarily produces Hino-branded heavy trucks, tractors, and Yangcheng-branded light trucks; the Shenyang Base retains the commercial bus product line. In 2024, GAC Group completed the equity restructuring of GAC Hino, increasing its shareholding to 89.72% and becoming the controlling shareholder. In April 2025, GAC Group officially announced at the Shanghai Auto Show that "GAC Hino" had been renamed to "GAC Lingcheng New Energy Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd.," released a new brand logo and strategic plan, established the technical route of "primarily pure electric, supplemented by hydrogen fuel," and fully transitioned towards the new energy commercial vehicle sector.

Development History

In June 2005, GAC Group signed a commercial vehicle joint venture agreement with Hyundai Motor of South Korea, but the co-operation failed to materialise. On 30 July 2007, GAC Group's joint venture project with Hino Motors, Ltd. was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, establishing GAC Hino Automobile Co., Ltd., and reorganising Guangzhou Yangcheng Automobile Co., Ltd. and Shenyang Shengfei Hino Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd. according to the "one project, two bases" model. On 28 November of the same year, the joint venture company was officially established with registered capital of 1.5 billion RMB and total new investment of approximately 3.1 billion RMB; among these, the restructuring of Yangcheng Automobile and relocation construction project had registered capital of 1 billion RMB and new investment of approximately 2.4 billion RMB; the restructuring of the Shengfei Hino project added registered capital of 500 million RMB and new investment of approximately 700 million RMB. On 24 December of the same year, the company held its formal establishment and groundbreaking ceremony at Conghua Mingzhu Industrial Park.

On 21 September 2009, the GAC Hino Conghua factory was officially completed and began production, and the first 700 Series heavy truck successfully rolled off the line, marking the end of Guangdong Province's lack of heavy truck production capacity. In November 2010, the GAC Hino Euro IV tractor successfully passed the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department's exhaust and noise emission type approval certification, obtaining the qualification for registration and operation in Hong Kong. Thereafter, GAC Hino continuously expanded its product line based on the 700 platform, making targeted improvements and adaptive enhancements based on the specific transportation environment of the Chinese market, establishing a good reputation in the Chinese commercial vehicle market.

The year 2024 was a historic turning point for GAC Hino. Facing the rapid development of new energy vehicles, GAC Group launched the equity adjustment and employee equity incentive plan for GAC Hino. After implementation of the plan, GAC Hino was held by GAC Group, Hino Motors, and Guangzhou Hydrogen Cloud New Energy Technology Investment Partnership, with shareholdings of 89.72%, 4.83%, and 5.45% respectively. The three shareholders jointly increased capital by nearly 700 million RMB according to the new share ratio. This equity adjustment marked GAC Group becoming the largest shareholder of GAC Hino, leading its subsequent operations. GAC Hino focused on the development of core technologies such as new energy three-electric systems, hydrogen fuel cells, and autonomous driving, entering the new energy track primarily through EV and FCEV routes. In November of the same year, GAC Group released its commercial vehicle "135" development strategy, clarifying GAC Hino's comprehensive transformation from a traditional joint venture enterprise to a new energy commercial vehicle enterprise.

On 23 April 2025, GAC Group officially announced at the Shanghai Auto Show that GAC Hino had been renamed to "GAC Lingcheng New Energy Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd.," released a new brand logo and strategic plan, established the technical route of "primarily pure electric, supplemented by hydrogen fuel," and launched the GAC PICKUP 01 concept pickup. The renaming to "GAC Lingcheng"—meaning "Technology Innovation Leads the Future"—marked the company's complete transformation from a traditional fuel heavy truck joint venture enterprise to a new energy commercial vehicle technology brand led by GAC Group.

Product Lineup

GAC Hino's (now GAC Lingcheng's) product line has expanded from single fuel heavy trucks to pure electric and hydrogen fuel dual technology routes, covering a diversified product matrix from heavy trucks, light trucks, and vans to pickups.

In terms of the fuel platform, the 700 Series Heavy Trucks are the core product line from the joint venture period, covering major vehicle categories such as tractors, cargo trucks, concrete mixer trucks, and dump trucks. Tractors cover various drive forms such as 4×2 and 6×4, equipped with Hino J08E, P11C, and E13C engines with 300–450 horsepower. Buyers can choose 9–16-speed manual or AMT transmissions from brands such as Fast and ZF. The 700 Zhizhen model was launched in 2021, equipped with Shanghai Hino U11C or Dongfeng Cummins Z14 engines, meeting China VI b emission standards, with power increased to 450 horsepower and torque reaching 2,000 N·m, adopting a newly designed cab and Internet of Vehicles system. In 2022, GAC Hino co-operated with Dongfeng Cummins to launch new 700 Series products equipped with 560-horsepower Cummins Z14 engines, further strengthening product competitiveness.

In terms of the pure electric platform, GAC Hino successively launched pure electric heavy truck flagship models (such as 6×4 pure electric tractors) as well as the E50 pure electric light truck, covering scenarios such as urban logistics and short-distance transportation. Among them, the 6×4 pure electric tractor adopts industry-leading high-energy-density lithium iron phosphate battery packs, passing IP68 highest-level waterproof and dustproof certification, and can operate stably under harsh conditions. In terms of the hydrogen fuel platform, the H9 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Heavy Trucks are aimed at long-distance trunk logistics scenarios. The first-generation product was delivered and operated in September 2024, and mass production is planned for 2026.

In terms of the pickup product line, the first pure electric pickup, the GAC PICKUP 01 Concept Car, was launched at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show. Featuring "All-Terrain Adaptability" and "Smart Living Scenarios" as its key selling points, it is equipped with four-wheel distributed drive motors, with peak torque reaching 12,000 N·m. Co-operating with the GAIA Adaptive Smart Architecture, it can scan road surfaces in real time and adjust suspension posture, adapting to extreme road conditions such as ice, snow, and deserts; it is equipped with a one-click camping mode, a roof solar panel power supply system, and L4-level autonomous driving functions. The vehicle is planned for mass production in 2027, with the first phase focusing on the Australian and Middle Eastern markets.

Market Performance

GAC Hino occupied a niche in the market during the traditional fuel heavy truck era by relying on strong joint venture capacity and technical endorsement. Around 2015, GAC Hino established a stable foundation in the three major markets of logistics, construction sites, and municipal affairs with the 700 Series, though market expansion was slow. After 2023, with the promotion of equity adjustment and new energy strategies, market feedback gradually turned positive.

In December 2023, GAC Hino signed a strategic co-operation agreement with relevant parties for 1,500 hydrogen fuel cell logistics vehicles within the GAC Group logistics system. In January 2024, it received the first batch of 50 hydrogen fuel cell box truck orders and signed the first batch of 50 pure electric box trucks for strategic co-operation with Haolaiyun Logistics. On 6 March 2025, GAC Hino secured a procurement order for 200 new energy tractors and provided supporting charging and energy replenishment facilities.

In 2024, the export volume of commercial vehicles from GAC Group increased by 67.6% year-on-year, which in a way reflected the expansion of GAC Hino's export scale. Facing 2025, GAC Hino set a phased goal of breaking through 0.5 million heavy truck sales, and expects that, after introducing light commercial vehicle products in the future, its production and sales scale will exceed 200,000 units.

Core Technologies

GAC Hino's (GAC Lingcheng's) core technology system during the fuel stage was based on original Hino factory technology. The 700 Series heavy trucks were developed using Japanese Hino technology, adopting electronically controlled common rail turbocharged engines, high-strength chassis and side anti-collision beam designs, a four-point full-floating air spring suspension system, air-suspended seats, cruise control, fuel-saving switches, computer-controlled throttles, and other technologies. In terms of durability, fuel consumption control, and driving comfort, they delivered excellent performance. The design changes to a large number of components accelerated local adaptation, achieving a better balance between quality maintenance and cost control.

After the new energy transformation, three-electric technology became the core competitive differentiator for GAC Lingcheng. In terms of batteries, GAC Lingcheng co-operated with InPair Battery Technology to develop commercial-grade Magazine Batteries, possessing core characteristics such as "Ultra-long Cycle Life" and "Super Fast Charging." The cycle life at room-temperature fast charging exceeds 7,500 cycles, supporting total vehicle lifecycle mileage of over 2 million kilometres; by passing extreme tests such as nail penetration and whole-pack gunfire, they achieve "No Ignition, No Smoke, No Water Leakage" intrinsic safety. In terms of electric drive, the high-performance permanent magnet synchronous motors developed in joint venture with TBI Power cover both pure electric and hydrogen fuel vehicle models. The T9 new energy heavy truck is equipped with a self-developed integrated electric drive axle and intelligent thermal management system, achieving 92% efficiency, maximum torque of 35,000 N·m, and comprehensive energy consumption as low as 1.1 kWh/km. In terms of electronic control, based on the "millisecond-level active protection" security architecture of the GAC R&D Centre, battery status is monitored in real time through AI algorithms, and a digital twin system is built on the industrial Internet platform, achieving closed-loop management of the entire value chain.

In the field of hydrogen fuel cells, the new-generation 140kW high-power-density metal plate fuel cell stack independently developed by GAC rolled off the line in March 2025. Adopting an integrated design, volume and weight were reduced by nearly one-third, and the power density of 7kW/L reached industry-leading levels. It possesses low-temperature start and high protection performance, and will directly support the series development of GAC Lingcheng hydrogen fuel cell commercial vehicles. At the same time, GAC Lingcheng is simultaneously exploring solid-state battery and hydrogen fuel cell composite power solutions.

Global Footprint

GAC Lingcheng is accelerating its globalisation pace, driven by the twin pillars of "Globalisation" and "Ecosystemisation," with overseas expansion as one of the core engines for realising the brand's domestic and international dual-circulation strategy.

In March 2025, GAC Hino General Manager Zhang Zhiyong led a team to visit Panama, Ecuador, and Peru in Central and South America to conduct in-depth visits to the commercial vehicle market, systematically assessing regional market characteristics from multiple dimensions, including market demand, access policies, user feedback, and brand building. Panama is an important logistics hub connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; Ecuador has strong demand for infrastructure and agricultural vehicles; and Peru's mining conditions impose special enhanced requirements on vehicles. Coastal, tropical rainforest, and Andes mountain high-altitude transport place higher demands on vehicles. GAC Hino's overseas sales support working group, in co-ordination with GAC International, further conducted commercial vehicle coaching and sales support for distributors, focusing on overseas core markets, and proceeded in a phased and graded manner to lead GAC commercial vehicles to the global market. Since the end of 2024, GAC pickups have been trialled for sale overseas on a small scale and have received positive customer feedback in the Panama and Ecuador markets.

GAC Group's commercial vehicles have been introduced in 74 countries. GAC Lingcheng plans to combine localised production strategies (including factory location planning in Thailand and Malaysia) and the synergy effect of passenger car channels to promote its globalisation process. The first pickup, the GAC PICKUP 01, will enter mass production in 2027, with a focus on the Australian and Middle Eastern markets. Through the differentiated competitive deployment of the "Product + Service + Finance" integrated solution, GAC Lingcheng is gradually achieving the strategic upgrade from "Product Going Global" to "Capability Going Global."

Future Outlook

Standing at the 2026 time node, GAC Lingcheng is in the critical leap period from a traditional joint venture commercial vehicle enterprise to a new energy technology brand. At the strategic level, GAC Group has released its commercial vehicle "135" development plan: anchoring the goal of achieving 30 billion RMB in revenue by 2030, and driving new energy transformation with the three engines of "Smart Manufacturing + Industry Alliance + User Ecosystem." As the main force of the GAC Group commercial vehicle sector, GAC Lingcheng aims to enter the domestic new energy commercial vehicle Top 5, promoting the high-quality development of Guangdong's new energy commercial vehicle industry.

In terms of product deployment, GAC Lingcheng will follow the approach of "Overall Planning, Step-by-Step Implementation, Rolling Development" to become a full-series commercial vehicle production enterprise. In the short term, pure electric light trucks, pure electric vans, and hydrogen fuel heavy trucks will serve as the core offerings; in the medium term, the pure electric pickup GAC PICKUP 01 will open up the global high-end pickup market; in the long term, it will expand multi-category (light trucks, pickups, medium-sized buses, vans, special vehicles) new energy commercial vehicle product lines, covering diversified transport scenarios such as urban logistics, short-distance transport, long-distance trunk routes, mining, and construction sites.

In terms of the energy replenishment ecosystem, GAC Lingcheng is deeply integrating with the Huawei Supercharging Alliance to build an integrated "Vehicle – Charger – Network – Terminal" service system, planning to install 10,000 charging piles by 2030; meanwhile, relying on GAC Energy's existing 80,000+ charging terminals, it has launched a "Vehicle Purchase + Energy Replenishment + Finance" one-stop solution. In terms of intelligent driving, the L4-level autonomous driving Robobus L60, developed in co-operation with Qiji Auto, is planned for production this year. Unmanned vehicle models such as the Robotruck T45 will redefine logistics transportation.

Facing the acceleration of global commercial vehicle new energy adoption and the promotion of the "Dual Carbon" goals, GAC Lingcheng has completed five major strategic infrastructure components: equity restructuring, brand renewal, technology accumulation, product deployment, and overseas expansion, striving to become a world-leading new energy commercial vehicle enterprise before 2030.