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Qingling Isuzu (Chinese: 庆铃五十铃) is one of the most prestigious, longest-running commercial vehicle joint ventures in China. Established in 1985 in Chongqing, it is a strategic partnership between the state-owned Qingling Motors Group and Japan's Isuzu Motors Ltd. Within global and domestic logistics, shipping, and engineering sectors, the brand is widely recognized as the absolute gold standard for premium light trucks and pick-ups.
From "Shancheng" Brand Cars to Sino‑Japanese Joint Venture (1969–1985). The predecessor of Qingling Automotive, the Chongqing Automobile Manufacturing Factory, was originally built in 1969, initially producing "Shancheng"‑brand cars based on the Jiefang. Coinciding with the Reform and Opening‑Up, the Chongqing Automobile Manufacturing Factory seized the historical opportunity in 1985 to jointly establish "Qingling Isuzu Automobile Co., Ltd." with Isuzu of Japan. In the same year, the first Isuzu 630 light truck manufactured in China rolled off the production line at Qingling, quickly becoming a best‑selling light commercial vehicle nationwide.
Listing in Hong Kong and Capital Expansion (1994–2005). Qingling Automotive Co., Ltd. listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1994, becoming a pioneer in Hong Kong listing. In 1997, Qingling further issued convertible bonds in Hong Kong, reserving financial strength for subsequent business expansion. In August 2005, Qingling and Isuzu further signed an agreement to establish a joint venture company with registered capital of 680 million RMB, with both Chinese and Japanese sides holding 50% equity each, focusing on the localisation of manufacturing for automotive engines and key components.
Deepening Cooperation and Strategic Reshaping (2005–2022). In 2005, Isuzu increased capital and expanded equity in Qingling, and both sides officially entered the "co‑operation" era of deep collaboration. In the following decade, Qingling passed Isuzu's global "Global Turtle Project" quality system certification and became the exclusive production base in China for Isuzu's core diesel engines such as the 3‑litre and 5‑litre engines.
Forty Years of Joint Venture and New Energy Start (2025–Present). The year 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of the joint venture cooperation between Qingling and Isuzu. On July 15, both sides jointly held an innovation development conference in Chongqing under the theme "Forty Years Together, Co‑creating New Qingling." Guests including Isuzu President Shinosuke Minami, important leaders of the Chongqing Municipal Government, and representatives of global suppliers and dealers attended the celebration, reviewing forty years of development together and establishing future key strategic directions, including expanding the new energy market.
Qingling's product lines comprehensively cover the full series of light, medium, and heavy‑duty commercial vehicles adopting the latest Japanese Isuzu technologies, in addition to pickups, multi‑purpose passenger vehicles, and various series of diesel engines. Relying on Qingling's own powerful casting, forging, and assembly processing capabilities, its six major assemblies—including engines, transmissions, cabs, chassis frames, and front and rear axles—have all achieved autonomous manufacturing.
Full Series Truck Platforms (Isuzu Technology Heritage). The Isuzu 600P series light trucks produced by Qingling enjoy extremely high market recognition and have long occupied a leading position in the high‑end light truck market. In 2025, Qingling launched the new high‑horsepower 600 series, with the powertrain further upgraded to meet high‑efficiency requirements for intercity logistics. Qingling has simultaneously introduced the Isuzu global synchronous technology medium‑duty truck platform and heavy‑duty truck models such as the FVR and GIGA, meeting the needs of national trunk line transportation and special vehicle markets. The Isuzu D‑MAX pickup produced by Qingling is a strategic model for the Isuzu brand, best‑selling in regions such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East; the T series and Lingtuo serve as more economical and practical supplements.
New Energy and Pure Electric Product Lines. In recent years, Qingling has initially completed the full matrix layout of pure electric logistics vehicles and light trucks, and has densely launched multiple heavyweight new energy models in 2025. In May 2025, during the 7th China Western International Investment and Trade Fair, Qingling jointly launched the first pure electric light truck "Lingkun" with CATL and its subsidiary Tianshi Xin'an. The vehicle is equipped with a 100 kWh Tianxing battery, offering a range of over 400 km, with SOC 20%‑80% fast charging in just 15 minutes. The vehicle's core three‑electric system integrates a 7‑in‑1 domain controller, with an 8‑year / 800,000 km ultra‑long warranty. In November 2025, Qingling launched its first pure electric VAN product "Linglong," deeply adapted for high‑frequency stop‑start city logistics scenarios. The vehicle is standard‑equipped with a high‑efficiency system combining motor and electronic control, with system efficiency of up to 96%, offering two battery specifications of 42 kWh and 54 kWh, while supporting a modular drive platform. Qingling has also quickly formed the demonstration and promotion application of 4.5‑ton hydrogen fuel box trucks by continuously introducing Bosch hydrogen fuel cell stack technology from Germany.
Overall Sales and Revenue. According to Qingling Automotive Co., Ltd. (01122.HK) 2025 Annual Report, annual vehicle sales were 33,226 units, a slight increase of 0.14% year‑on‑year. Turnover was approximately 4.367 billion RMB, an increase of 5.89% year‑on‑year. The loss attributable to equity owners of the company was approximately 26.316 million RMB, narrowing significantly by 52.24% compared to the previous year, mainly due to product structure optimisation and effective cost management. In the first half of 2025, group revenue was 2.072 billion RMB, a slight decrease of 1.88% year‑on‑year, mainly affected by short‑term fluctuations in overseas commercial vehicle demand.
New Energy Market Performance. New energy commercial vehicles are the core growth engine for Qingling in 2025. New energy vehicle sales increased by over 110% year‑on‑year. At the same time, special vehicle annual sales approached the 10,000‑unit mark, covering special chassis requirements for urban emergencies and modifications.
Emission Compliance and Environmental Leadership. Qingling took the lead in completing the switch of the entire series to China VI b emission regulations, obtaining China VI certification for hundreds of vehicle models. This is another strict verification for Qingling after being one of the first in the industry to master core technologies such as "electronic control high‑pressure common rail" and "exhaust after‑treatment," consolidating Qingling's brand premium capability under domestic carbon neutrality and green city logistics policies.
Isuzu Original Powertrain. Qingling exclusively holds the technology authorisation and production rights for multiple core Isuzu diesel engines such as the 4JB1‑T, with engine power covering 77 to 380 horsepower. Core components are independently cast, forged, and precision‑machined by Sino‑Japanese joint venture subsidiaries, ensuring engines lead domestic competitors in both durability and economic efficiency.
Full Value Chain Joint Venture Processing Capability. Relying on capital ties, Qingling has established a component cluster in Chongqing to support Isuzu's global procurement chain. By introducing core assembly technologies such as engines, axles, and gears through joint ventures, Qingling ranks among the best in the commercial vehicle industry in terms of vertical integration depth across the full value chain.
All‑Domain Smart Electric Architecture and Three‑Electric Technology. To cope with the wave of "New Four Modernisations" (connectivity, electrification, sharing, intelligence), Qingling jointly developed with CATL a new bottom‑mounted ternary and LFP standard battery pack group for modular pure electric light trucks. The self‑developed 2‑in‑1 motor and electronic control solution achieves system efficiency of up to 96% and is equipped with an integrated thermal management system. In intelligent assisted driving, Qingling pure electric light trucks have begun to equip Level 2 driving assistance functions such as forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and automatic emergency braking to improve city logistics driving safety.
Relying on Isuzu Global Distribution Network. Isuzu‑brand models produced at Qingling factories have been mass re‑exported to Japan, Southeast Asia, South America, Africa, and a total of 146 countries and regions. Cumulative global sales of the Isuzu brand have exceeded 6.7 million units, of which over 20% of production is provided by Qingling, laying the foundation for the high‑efficiency "Qingling‑Isuzu" joint overseas expansion model.
Using New Energy Electric Vehicles as a New Pivot for Going Global. In 2025, Qingling and Isuzu established a new joint venture company in the new energy field, explicitly stating that in 2026, they will officially launch Qingling's self‑developed and produced electric light trucks into the international market through Isuzu's global sales channels. Qingling will use new energy light trucks and pure electric light vans as new weapons to deeply participate in the global zero‑carbon logistics transformation.
Standing at a new starting point on the 40th anniversary of the joint venture, Qingling has formulated a clear short‑, medium‑, and long‑term development roadmap with "electrification, intelligence, internationalisation, and sharing" as breakthrough directions.
Comprehensive Expansion of New Energy Products. Qingling plans to launch dozens of new power‑driven products over the next two years, comprehensively covering micro‑trucks, light trucks, small and medium VANs, and full series of special chassis, refrigerated vehicles, and other categories. Hydrogen fuel heavy‑duty trucks and hybrid commercial vehicles are also in simultaneous development to meet regulatory requirements and diverse customer needs for range and power diversification.
Global Green Expedition. The year 2026 is critical for Qingling's global transformation. Relying on the new joint venture new energy export layout, Qingling plans to spread orders for electric commercial vehicles to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and other Belt and Road economies.
Digital Transformation and Smart Manufacturing Deep Dive. Qingling will comprehensively upgrade its existing production capacity system, promoting smart warehousing, quality big data platforms, and DMS sales service digitalisation, focusing on lean production and full‑lifecycle cost reduction. Cooperation with head battery suppliers such as CATL will also achieve commercial landing in battery second‑life utilisation and battery‑swap heavy‑truck fields.
Long‑Term Vision: Building China's Most Trusted High‑Quality Commercial Vehicle. Adhering to the trust of "In China, Qingling is Isuzu," Qingling will continue to leverage the manufacturing gene advantages of Sino‑Japanese joint venture collaboration and grow into a more globally influential green smart logistics benchmark brand by taking the lead in implementing digital intelligent manufacturing transformation and a comprehensive connected clean energy strategy.
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