On March 20, the day of the Dragon Head Raising Festival and the Spring Equinox, although a lingering chill remained in the mountain city of Chongqing, the scene at the 2026 SAIC Hongyan Product Renewal and Global Partner Summit was filled with long-awaited anticipation. Under the theme "Born Anew, Forward Together," with the重磅 launch of the third-generation new energy heavy-duty truck i-Series and the AILink Yanchain pure-electric intelligent architecture platform, the new Hongyan officially set sail.

　　As a national heavy-duty truck brand with a history of nearly 60 years, SAIC Hongyan had just overcome an extremely challenging period of 147 days. Facing dealers who had rushed from all over the world, SAIC Hongyan displayed a steady yet vibrant, innovative yet sincere and determined character. This old friend of the transportation community chose an auspicious day to make its comeback.

Reinforced Backing: A Clear Path to a "Small but Beautiful" High-Quality Transformation

　　Against the backdrop of increasingly fierce competition in the commercial vehicle market, the capital structure and strategic resolve of the company after restructuring have drawn much external attention.

　　As a key shareholder, Wei Yong, Vice President of SAIC Motor, emphasized "three unchangeables" at the meeting: SAIC Motor's original aspiration to uphold the Hongyan brand legacy remains unchanged, its confidence in the development of Chongqing's automotive industry remains unchanged, and its determination for Hongyan's future high-quality transformation remains unchanged.

　　This means that SAIC Motor's core technological reserves in the fields of "pure electric, hydrogen energy, and intelligent connectivity" will be prioritized for transformation and implementation on Hongyan commercial vehicles. At the same time, SAIC's global supply chain system and overseas financial platforms will be fully opened to Hongyan, providing strong support for its globalization strategy.

　　Yang Huaijing, Chairman of SAIC Hongyan, further pointed out that the new Hongyan, after restructuring, now enjoys the dual endorsement of "industry + state capital," with a more diversified equity structure and clearer governance mechanisms, which has rebuilt solid confidence among supply chain partners and downstream customers.

　　Based on this new governance structure, the new Hongyan has charted its future development course: to anchor itself in the new "intelligent-electric" track, adhere to the dual-wheel drive of "technology + ecosystem," and embark on a high-quality transformation and development path with Hongyan's distinctive characteristics of being "small but beautiful, specialized and refined, intelligent and strong."

　　To this end, SAIC Hongyan has set clear market targets for 2026: to strive for annual sales of 15,000 units, including 11,000 units in the domestic market and 4,000 units in overseas markets. In terms of market share positioning, it plans to return to the top three in the urban construction muck and engineering construction sectors, and to rank among the top five in the short-distance sand and coal transportation sector.

Analyzing Trends: Responding to the "New Four Modernizations" and Scenario-Based AI Restructuring

　　The certainty of the strategy and goals stems from a deep understanding of industry trends. Qiu Xuejun, General Manager of SAIC Hongyan, pointed out that China's heavy-duty truck industry is undergoing a profound "New Four Modernizations" transformation, namely new energy, intelligent connectivity, scenario-based AI, and industrial integration.

　　Market data confirms this judgment: in 2025, the penetration rate of the new energy heavy-duty truck market, primarily pure electric, had rapidly climbed to 26.5%, with the industry expecting it to exceed 35% in 2026. At the same time, the intelligent connectivity of commercial vehicles is moving beyond the stage of mere "technological novelty" and shifting toward scenario-based operations with the "economic account" as the core consideration. Currently, L4-level autonomous driving has achieved commercial implementation in specific scenarios such as mining areas and ports, while L2+ assisted driving is gradually becoming standard equipment on heavy-duty trucks.

　　An even more profound change than autonomous driving lies in "scenario-based AI." Qiu Xuejun believes that the introduction of AI large-model technology is redefining the product form of heavy-duty trucks. In the future, the boundary between trucks and vans will become increasingly blurred, evolving into a new species called "Truvan," and commercial vehicles will truly achieve "a thousand vehicles for a thousand faces, one scenario for one solution." This technology-driven industrial integration requires vehicle manufacturers to accelerate their transformation from a single "vehicle supplier" to a "smart logistics full-chain operation solution provider."

Technological Breakthrough: The AILink Architecture and the Third-Generation New Energy Heavy-Duty Truck

　　Technological innovation on the product side is the key to SAIC Hongyan's re-entry into the race. At the press conference, Sun Jun, Deputy Director of the SAIC Commercial Vehicle Technology Center, detailed the underlying technology that will determine the future direction of Hongyan's products—the "AILink Yanchain" pure-electric intelligent architecture platform.

　　This platform adopts a "1×2×3" modular design concept, achieving a comprehensive upgrade of the chassis modularization and electronic architecture. It boasts a very high commonality rate, not only capable of deriving 21 basic vehicle models but also fully compatible with high-voltage platforms and various new energy power forms such as pure electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and hybrid, thus significantly shortening the R&D and iteration cycles of new models.

　　Based on this architecture, SAIC Hongyan officially launched its third-generation new energy heavy-duty truck to the global market. This product series precisely targets medium- and short-haul transportation scenarios of less than 500 kilometers, comprehensively covering resource-based fields such as sand and coal transportation, ready-mixed concrete transportation, engineering construction, urban construction muck, and steel transportation.

　　Through deep integration of SAIC Group's "three-electric" (battery, motor, electronic control) technologies, the new series is fully equipped with CATL's AD02 batteries and 2C fast-charging technology, with a peak power of up to 580 kW, and has achieved a weight reduction breakthrough of over 800 kilograms through lightweighting.

Ecosystem Empowerment: Breaking the High-Premium Perception and Building a Full-Chain Operation System

　　After the technology and products are in place, the keys to commercialization are price competitiveness and ecosystem support capabilities. To break the market's entrenched perception that "good new energy products inevitably come with a high premium," Shi Yicai, Deputy General Manager of SAIC Hongyan, announced highly competitive product pricing on-site:

　　For efficient line-haul and medium- to short-haul transportation, the i·Jieshi Smart Edition 6×4 tractor starts at RMB 397,700; for engineering transportation scenarios, the i·Jieshi Smart Edition 8×4 dump truck starts at RMB 499,900; targeting the right-hand drive overseas market, the i·LYON 6×4 International Edition tractor has a starting price of USD 67,900. At the same time, the company also launched a "Seven-Tier Grand Launch Gift Package."

　　Good products also require a good ecosystem. At the press conference, the "i·Hongyan" ecosystem brand was officially launched, embodying the ecological mission to "make every kilowatt-hour generate revenue, connect every kilometer to the ecosystem, and make every vehicle create value."

　　Concurrently, SAIC Hongyan formally announced the establishment of the "i·Hongyan Ecosystem Alliance." This alliance brings together cross-sector partners including financial institutions, autonomous driving technology companies, logistics platforms, and charging service providers, aiming to provide users with full-chain smart operation solutions covering vehicle purchase, financing, charging and battery-swapping networks, and fleet management. Additionally, SAIC Hongyan and CATL officially launched the "Tianxing 3.3C Supercharging Battery Cooperation Project" to further solidify the recharging ecosystem.

　　With highly compelling products and a well-established ecosystem layout, SAIC Hongyan signed strategic framework agreements for 2,700 new energy products with multiple global partners at the event, successfully achieving a "good start" after restructuring.

　　From 147 days of dormancy and restructuring to the intensive rollout of new strategies, architectures, and products, this launch event for SAIC Hongyan is not only a powerful act of self-rescue in the face of industry cycle shifts but also a profound strategic restructuring. At the start of the "15th Five-Year Plan" in 2026, the newly streamlined Hongyan is re-establishing its own coordinates in the global new energy commercial vehicle arena through cost reduction via technology, empowerment via ecosystem, and precise scenario definition.