PETALING JAYA, Nov 24 — China’s leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer, China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Co, expects to achieve higher sales of its trucks in Malaysia, thanks to the nation’s strong economic growth.

The company aimed to sell 1,000 heavy-duty trucks in 2014, its chief representative in Malaysia, Sun Yongjun, told Bernama in an interview.

The number was significant compared with the combined sales of more than 2,000 vehicles sold in the past five years, he said.

Last year, the company, the first Chinese truck brand to make a foray into Malaysia in 2008, sold 350 trucks and raked in revenue of RM80 million.

It currently enjoys a 20 per cent share in the domestic heavy-duty truck market, with major customers including Integrated Logistics Bhd, Vertex Mission Holdings Sdn Bhd, Shin Yang Sdn Bhd and YTL Corporation Bhd, according to a company statement.

“Malaysia may not be as big as China geographically, but the market is growing strongly to us,” Sun said, adding that the truck manufacturer saw an uptick in demand as more infrastructure projects were being launched locally.

Going forward, the company is set to bring in medium and light duty trucks in the second half of next year, in a move to complement its current offering of heavy duty vehicles.

The company has set a target to sell 300 medium trucks and 600 to 800 light-duty trucks in Malaysia in 2015. — Bernama