16 years ago, the first coach imported from China was registered in France: a King Long model with a 9 -meter -long diesel engine called XMQ 6900 and renamed fortem by its French distributor, the Vendée company Hervouet Corporate Industry (HCI). Since then, the models offered have evolved considerably both in terms of quality and the engines offered. Some Chinese manufacturers have created their own subsidiaries to distribute vehicles themselves, others have agreements with French resellers.
Their commercial strategy in France is different from European manufacturers. Chinese manufacturers were not present at the last two professional fairs (coach Expo Lyon 2024 and the Act 2025 days in Reims). On the other hand, their presence was noticed at the UITP Summit 2025 fair in Hamburg (Germany). Several of them will participate next October in the Busworld Europe show in Brussels.
Chinese bus and cars imports in France a very variable evolution from one year to the next.
The return of King Long
HCI imported King Long coach into France for 6 years. In total, more than 260 new King Long coachs were registered until 2015. The manufacturer King Long is back on the French market in 2025 with a new distributor. Three models of King Long coach have been distributed by Omnicar in France since this year.
Higer Bus, a strategy with several sides
In 2010, the European manufacturer Scania began cooperation with the Chinese industrialist Higer Bus. The company will make the Coach Chassis bodywork Scania. Three models are marketed: a school diesel coach (the A30 model), a tourist coach (Touring model) and an interurban natural gas coach, the Fencer 6 CNG. The first will have a limited success, with only just over 160 copies in 9 years. The second has just passed the course of 250 copies. The third arrived in 2022.
The ATLANTIC AUTOCARS company has become this year distributor of HIGER electric coaches. A 13 -meter long coach with 63 seats will be sold in France.
Yutong, market leader
In 2012, the French merchant Dietrich Carebus embarked on the importation of public transport vehicles for people from the Yutong brand. For 8 years, nearly 630 buses and cars will have been delivered to France, including the first electric battery models.
Since then, the manufacturer Yutong has created its own subsidiary in France and imported more than 130 coaches, mainly Yutong Ice 12 electric cars. In recent months, several new Yutong models have arrived in France. These are electric buses: the E7S minibus and the Midibus E9. The manufacturer will also deliver in France several copies of its new model of electric coach with IC12e batteries.
Ankai is positioned on a niche market
In 2014, the vehicles of the Chinese manufacturer Ankai arrived in France. These are imperial diesel bus. From 2017, the vehicles delivered are electric. Les Cars Rouge is the only operator of Ankai bus on this very specific market segment, now with 25 buses in circulation in the colors of Big Bus Paris.
Byd changes its strategy
In 2018, the Bus and electric cars BYD arrived in France with its own subsidiary: Byd France. The ambition is large, a site opens in the Oise to eventually produce vehicles. Only four years later, only twenty vehicles were registered. The Beauvais site is closed. The company refocuses on electric and hybrid light vehicles. Nevertheless byd remains present in Europe with a factory in Hungary. Byd also markets its chassis to European coachbuilders like Castrosua or UNVI. In 2024, UNVI produced a series of 16 electric coaches upstairs for Keolis Alpes Maritimes.
Zhongtong Bus arrives in Europe
A model of the manufacturer Zhongtong Bus is now recently available in France. It is an electric minibus imported in Europe by the company Altas Auto (Lithuania) and distributed in France by BG Motor Group. The Altas Novus City V7 had been presented at the Busworld 2023 fair. At the end of 2023, the Chinese manufacturer opened a subsidiary in Germany, Zhongtong Bus Europe GmbH.
In addition to the vehicles of the manufacturers mentioned above, other buses and cars assembled in China circulate in France. These are EBUSCO electric buses in the process of delivery in Rouen which are partially produced in China, but also an CRRC electric buses equipped with an autonomous driving system tested by RATP, a CRRC Midibus circulating on a line of the GPSO network in Île-de-France or even the W-SMILE electric minibus produced in China by Wisdom Motor and marketed by Omnicar.
Cap on the busworld Europe
In two months, the living room Busworld Europe In Brussels will be an opportunity to see the latest developments in vehicles offered by manufacturers and in particular by Chinese industrialists.
The progress of batteries now make it possible to offer vehicles with great autonomy. Over the years, the quality of Chinese buses and cars has grown. The industrial capacities of these manufacturers are very important and the ranges of models offered widen, both for buses (from minibus to articulated bus) and for coaches (interurban and tourism).
The course of 1,000 vehicles exceeded
Imports in France of Chinese bus and cars vary from a few dozen to just under 150 copies per year. Now more than 1,000 buses and coaches produced in China have been registered in France, a figure to which must be added nearly 500 coaches assembled in China on a scania chassis. In total, over the past ten years, the market share of Chinese manufacturers is less than 2 % in France.
Note that buyers of these Chinese vehicles are almost exclusively private carriers. In fifteen years, local communities have bought only around forty vehicles manufactured in China (excluding models marketed by Scania).
The Chinese manufacturers’ market share therefore remains very marginal in France to this day, but their large production capacity of electric vehicles could have consequences on European industry.
To promote their vehicles, Chinese manufacturers all have websites available in several languages. The French version is sometimes a simple automatic translation from English, which can give surprising results. On a manufacturer’s website, it is possible to read the word “coach” in the list of vehicle types, completely out of context of the English word “coach” in place of “coach”.
In urban transport, the ranges offered by Chinese manufacturers were hitherto little suitable for demand for the hexagonal market (no gas bus for example). But now, the demand for electric battery bus increases; Chinese buses could find a place in French parks. However, access to the French market will require for these manufacturers to strengthen partnerships or to make additional investments in order to develop the after-sales service and the distribution of spare parts.
To find out more: https://www.busworlderope.org
