When heavy-duty truck manufacturers cooperated with foreign giants in engine operations, domestic engine manufacturers constantly intensified horizontal and in-depth development, increased input, developed new technologies, met higher emission standards with upgraded products and added new products to enrich and perfect product spectrums.

All customers familiar with the domestic engine market know half of the Chinese bus market has been occupied by Yuchai engines and Yuchais engine sales have soared with the rapid development of the market. However, Yuchai is not complacent about its success in the bus market, but has recently signed a letter of intent on engine cooperation with China North Industries Group Corporation in Beijing, showing its determination to dominate the heavy-duty engine market.

Low fuel consumption boosts Yuchais effort to develop the heavy-duty engine market

Yuchai has developed heavy-duty engines matching heavy-duty trucks early, but many people have neglected that due to Yuchais outstanding performance in the bus market. Since Yuchai entered Zhejiang market in 2009, its heavy-duty engines have maintained growth and matched trucks of brands including DFCV, DFLZ and Auman. Despite the recession in the domestic heavy-duty truck market this year, our annual growth in Zhejiang has ranged from 20 percent to 30 percent, Xu Fangyue, director of Yuchai Zhejiang office, told the press.

Referring to the reason, Xu said, The more sluggish the market is, the more critical of fuel consumption customers are, many customers purchase trucks due to the low fuel consumption of Yuchai engines. Now customers are not as blind as before in purchasing trucks, and will conduct deliberate comparison before making decisions even if friends recommend. Large logistics companies and fleets are more concerned about fuel consumption when purchasing vehicles, the low fuel consumption of Yuchai engines is one of the key factors for its opening Ningbos port tractor market this year. Besides, despite the small number of Yuchai heavy-duty engines possessed in Zhejiang, but the number has been growing in recent years, showing the market is being developed progressively.

Now the greatest concern of customers is just fuel consumption, they asked about fuel consumption first when purchasing trucks, Yu Teng, general manager of Mengcheng Kerui Automobile Sales Service Co., Ltd., said.

Economy and utility win over customers

Almost all our customers are mobile ones without fixed working places, and 99 percent of them engage in long-distance breakbulk and machinery (infrastructural) transport in regions including Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, Qinghai and Tibet, Xinjiang and Northeast China. Yu said, adding, Prices still play a part, but customers have gradually been particular about engine brands. In recent two years, the number of customers that required heavy-duty trucks carry Yuchai engines has grown gradually. Due to lower prices compared to joint-venture brands, sturdiness, high durability and high adaptability, Yuchai engines are much popular with customers. One of our business emphases for next year is Yuchai heavy-duty engines, and we should satisfy customers in the buyers market in order to develop.

Yuchai engines are cost-effective and boost the cost effectiveness of vehicles. As Yuchai enjoys great popularity in many places, a growing number of customers are inclined to Yuchai engines, a participating enterprise representative told the press on the scene of Chinas 5th Annual International Energy Conservation Competition.

Perfect customer system wins more customers

There is no delay in time due to the sufficiency of parts of service outlets, said truck driver Wu Hai when generalizing the advantages of Yuchai engines, adding, The price is low. After getting the truck, I paid more attention to the adequacy of customer service and the sufficiency of parts, after all it travels around the country and any failure will be solved soon if it breaks down. The truck is our money earner, we will have no money if it does not work, the faster problems are solved, the more popular trucks are.

Xu said, Unlike the general distributor mode, all Yuchais parts storages are constructed with direct investment from parts manufacturers. We give priority to services, store parts in the proportion of sold engines regardless of hot-selling parts or seldom used parts, and will not waste customers time for lack of parts. In Zhejiang, we have set up service outlets rationally with a service radius of not more than 40 kilometers, and established maintenance stations according to drive routes of certain major customers, thus ensuring that both individual customers and major customers can find maintenance stations duly and smoothly. I think this is one of the major reasons that Yuchai can retain customers and old customers constantly introduce new customers.

(Li Xinyan/cvnews.com.cn)