Foton trucks take a new step into Australia

• All trucks will be equipped with cruise control, air conditioning and power steering. There are no airbags at the moment, but skid brakes are standard and Ateco says all cabs meet the ECE 29 cab safety standard.
• Foton will now offer a full line of Cummins trucks with two engine options.
• Foton Aumark was first introduced in Australia in 2010 but sales were low. Ateco says it will give Foton many more marketing opportunities.
• Ateco has yet to finalize a new list of Foton dealers, describing it as a work in progress but says it will represent proper national coverage, including Western Australia.

• All trucks will be equipped with cruise control, air conditioning and power steering. There are no airbags at the moment, but skid brakes are standard and Ateco says all cabs meet the ECE 29 cab safety standard.
• Foton will now offer a full line of Cummins trucks with two engine options.
• Foton Aumark was first introduced in Australia in 2010 but sales were low. Ateco says it will give Foton many more marketing opportunities.
• Ateco has yet to finalize a new list of Foton dealers, describing it as a work in progress but says it will represent proper national coverage, including Western Australia.

This time, one of the biggest truck players in China is serious, backed by import giant Ateco Automotive, the company that supplies Great Wall vehicles to Australia. Foton will now offer a full line of Cummins trucks with two engine options.

The Foton Aumark was first introduced to Australia in 2010 by TransPacific, the same company that imports Western Star, MAN and Dennis Eagle trucks.

Sales were slow and when Foton was slow to develop the Euro 5 model, TransPacific withdrew. Ateco says it will put much more marketing effort into the Foton, which will be unveiled at this week's Brisbane Truck Show.

Three trucks will be offered from the outset: an entry-level 4500 kg truck that can be driven with a car license, a 6500 kg model, and an 8500 kg model. Short, medium and long wheelbase models will be available, and buyers will be able to choose between a narrow or wide cab.

Ateco isn't ready to finalize payload figures, but says these trucks are significantly lighter, allowing them to carry more. “These trucks have gone on a bit of a diet, so their payload has improved compared to previous Aumark trucks and current JAC trucks,” says Foton General Manager Andrey Zaitsev.

He says that much of the weight savings can be attributed to the use of different types of steel. Foton will offer two Cummins engines for Aumark, both six-cylinder and both made in China at the Cummins-Foton plant. The entry-level unit is a 2.8-litre engine with 110kW and 360Nm, while the 3.8-litre produces 115kW and 500Nm.

Both use selective catalytic reduction, which uses AdBlue exhaust gas treatment fluid. Thanks to the Ateco deal, owners won't need to have the engine serviced by Cummins, as is the case with larger trucks.

“It was very important that Cummins join us,” says Zaitsev. “We needed dealers to be able to service the entire truck so that customers know they can just get the truck to one location.” Ateco decided to avoid its own Chinese gearboxes, opting for two ZF manual gearboxes, including one imported from Europe.

At the moment there is no fully automatic or automated manual option, but Ateco is looking to offer an automatic shifter given the growing demand for them. Ateco wasn't ready to say how much the Foton would cost at the time of writing, but warns potential customers not to expect the lowest prices.

“They won't be cheap, but they will represent good value for money,” says Zaitsev. Given that potential customers may have reliability issues, Ateco plans to offer a XNUMX/XNUMX roadside assistance package for every truck.

All trucks will be equipped with cruise control, air conditioning and power steering. There are no airbags at the moment, but skid brakes are standard and Ateco says all cabs meet the ECE 29 cab safety standard.

Ateco has yet to finalize a new list of Foton dealers, describing it as a work in progress but says it will represent proper national coverage, including Western Australia.