The past two IAA Transportation expos held in Hannover, Germany have shone the spotlight on electrification with the European brands leading the way.

The big news theme of the 2027 show held in September was a barrage of fresh and future truck models from Chinese brands developed to challenge the European establishment.

IAA Transportation 2026 featured 1,589 exhibitors from 46 countries, and set a new record for international participation.

About 460 Chinese companies were represented in Hannover this year and China had its strongest presence ever with truck brands including BIAC Foton, BYD, GAC, Farizon Geely, FAW, and SANY premiering new trucks.

BYD gained the major international headlines with the debut of its battery-electric ETT 44 (previewed in last months’ issue].

BAIC Foton celebrated a milestone in Hannover, announcing it has now delivered 13 million vehicles globally.

Foton displayed its largest-ever lineup, including seven new energy vehicles and six self-developed core components. The Foton Galaxus R9 PHEV has completed field tests in Spain, and the Cavan C1 has been launched overseas.

Models making their overseas public debut included the hydrogen-and-electric capable Cavan Beacon heavy truck, eGalaxus D3 (Sweeper) battery electric medium truck, and Daystar light truck,

The Cavan Beacon is billed as a zero-carbon intelligent long-haul heavy truck. Its platform supports 15 variants across battery electric, battery swapping, gaseous and liquid hydrogen energy sources.

Foton says megawatt fast-charging reaches 20–80% in 18 minutes and electric range exceeds 600km – while the hydrogen range exceeds 1,000km. Claimed energy consumption for the 6x4 BEV version is 115kWh per 100km.

Advanced driver assistance systems in the Cavan Beacon are based on readiness for SAE Level 4 autonomous operation and the cab features AI voice assistant, dual screens, and a 1,000mm sleeper berth.

Foton is eyeing Europe as a key market to achieve its 2030 targets which include new energy vehicles accounting for 50% of its sales and international sales being 40% of its business.

Making its official European debut at Hannover was the Homtruck, a heavy-duty electric truck from Geely Farizon which is specified for European operating requirements. It carries a 600-kWh battery delivering over 500km range.

The Homtruck premièred alongside two new light commercial EV models – the Farizon SV and V7E.

FAW Trucks showcased five complete vehicles and nine core powertrain systems across four exhibition areas – Low Carbon, Zero Carbon, Ecosystem, and Future – presenting a full-spectrum powertrain strategy and intelligent technology capabilities.

FAW plans to introduce its Cortron CS seventh-generation heavy-duty truck to European markets in the near future. On display in Hannover were two diesel tractors – the CS600 and CS600 XXL – and the CS925 battery-electric tractor variant.

Also making its global premiere at the show was the FAW TL.X Visionary Concept Truck which previews the design and features of a truck for 2036 with breakthroughs in modular space design, multi-powertrain compatibility, full-stack intelligence, and other areas.

FAW brought more than 200 dealers, suppliers, key customers, and media representatives from around the world attended the unveiling.

GAC Commercial Vehicle debuted at IAA Transportation 2026 by showcasing its new-energy heavy and light commercial vehicle products.

GAC’s heavy commercial vehicle business also focuses on autonomous operation with the T9 Robotruck combining Pony.ai’s 4th Generation Autonomous Driving Technology with GAC’s fully redundant drive-by-wire chassis. Its automotive-grade suite includes nine LiDARs, three radars and 13 cameras.

Compared with the previous generation, GAC says hardware costs are 70% lower and autonomous-driving transportation cost per ton-kilometre is approximately 30% lower, improving efficiency in long-haul, dedicated-route and port transportation.

Also on show was the T9 Battery Swap EV Tractor combining an electric drive axle with a 603kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, delivering up to 475km of range with combined energy consumption as low as 1.2 kWh/km. A full-vehicle battery swap using the Aulton system takes approximately three to five minutes, reducing downtime and improving vehicle utilisation.

GAC says charging and battery swapping are complementary solutions for different scenarios, with swapping particularly valuable for fixed-route, high-frequency operations.

SANY Heavy Truck, together with Putzmeister, a member of SANY Group, presented a production-ready portfolio of battery-electric commercial vehicles developed for European transport operations.

It’s display included the SE636 battery-electric heavy-duty truck along with battery-electric cargo and concrete mixer trucks, demonstrating SANY’s capabilities across multiple commercial transport applications.

Built on a 4x2 chassis, the SE636 features a 636kWh battery system, a range of up to 500km and a kerb weight of 10.9 metric tons. The vehicle has received EU Whole Vehicle Type Approval and is already operating in Germany, Türkiye and other European markets.

According to SANY, it is the first mass-produced battery-electric heavy-duty truck from a Chinese manufacturer to receive EU WVTA.

IAA Transportation 2026 from September 15-20 drew more than 140,000 visitors and featured over 150 world premieres and new products. International attendees accounted for a record 40% of trade visitors, up from 34% in 2024.

Test drives were once again a particular highlight of IAA Transportation. This year, visitors could try out 84 vehicles from 17 exhibitors. Compared with 2024, when 60 vehicles were available, the selection grew by 40% to a new record.

The next IAA TRANSPORTATION will take place in Hannover from September 19 to 24, 2028.