FAW SA announced that it aims to increase its production volume to 1200 units at its Coega plant this year. Last year, it has produced 1153 units,which were either sold locally (986 units) or exported into Southern Africa (167 units). FAW SA said in its outlook for the year ahead that it expected a flat truck market for 2019 and that some improvement will be seen in 2020.

Inaugurated in July 2014, the FAW plant was the first large-scale investment made by a China-based company in the region under an investment of R600-million and 120 employment.

Two new flagship models, an extra-heavy, automatic Truck Tractor for long haul applications are expected to launch with the coming two years.It will be FAW’s first truck with an automatic transmission in South Africa. To ensure the vehicle is fully ready for local operation, they have been tested in African conditions before leaving the factory. Another new product coming soon is 6.130 FL, a medium-duty truck, which will be the first model for the company in this segment. The 6.130 FL has a gross vehicle mass of 7t and comes standard with the Euro 3 Cummins ISF 2.8-l engine and a six-speed synchromesh manual transmission.