On October 8, BAIC Foton Motor Co., Ltd. and Shenzhen ZhiYu Technology Co., Ltd. officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement, under which the two sides will carry out all-round cooperation in the field of high-level intelligent driving for commercial vehicles, jointly developing intelligent driving solutions suitable for heavy trucks, light commercial vehicles, unmanned logistics vehicles, and other vehicle models, and advancing technology iteration and mass production in phases.

Foton Motor is a leading enterprise in China's commercial vehicle sector, ranking first in Chinese commercial vehicle sales for 21 consecutive years, with cumulative sales exceeding 13 million units and products covering more than 140 countries and regions worldwide. ZhiYu Technology originated as an intelligent driving project initiated internally by DJI Innovation in 2016, spun off as an independent entity in 2023, rebranded as "ZhiYu" in June 2024, and secured over RMB 3.6 billion in strategic investment from China FAW Group in November 2025, achieving a post-investment valuation exceeding RMB 10 billion. As of March 2026, ZhiYu has collaborated with 20 clients and 32 brands, with cumulative mass-produced models exceeding 50, Designated cooperation (designated cooperation) models surpassing 100, and its business extending from passenger vehicles to heavy trucks, unmanned logistics vehicles, and other fields.

According to the agreement, the scope of cooperation covers core areas such as highway and national road pilot-assist driving for heavy trucks, intercity highway NOA (Navigate on Autopilot), unmanned logistics vehicle Robovan, urban NOA for light commercial vehicles, overseas promotion of high-level intelligent driving, and L3/L4-level intelligent connected vehicle access pilot programs. In terms of technical division of labor, ZhiYu provides model algorithms, multi-sensor fusion, and domain control hardware technologies, while Foton offers vehicle control, chassis adaptation, and vehicle integration capabilities. The cooperation projects will start with expressway trunk scenarios and gradually expand to complex scenarios such as urban roads and national roads.

This cooperation has clear objectives for both parties. Foton Motor launched its "Cangqiong" intelligent driving brand in August 2026, with its Cangqiong B platform having mass-produced and delivered over 3,000 units in heavy trucks, accumulating more than 400 million kilometers of safe operation. However, its self-developed system still requires supplementary external technical capabilities to accelerate full-scenario coverage. ZhiYu Technology had already established cooperation with five of China's six major truck manufacturers, with plans to mass-produce heavy truck highway NOA projects in the first half of 2026, including clients such as XCMG, Shaanxi Automobile, and Sinotruk. Foton's participation further solidifies its customer base in the commercial vehicle intelligent driving sector.

From an industry perspective, the core difference between commercial vehicle intelligent driving and passenger vehicles lies in the fact that customers prioritize operational efficiency over user experience. Whether a intelligent driving system is accepted by logistics enterprises depends on its ability to reduce accident rates, minimize driver fatigue, optimize fuel consumption, and lower labor costs. After the Foton Auman Galaxy 9 HWP expressway pilot heavy truck was equipped with the Cangqiong intelligent driving solution, it achieved 3% to 5% savings in fuel and gas consumption, 15% to 20% reductions in fleet management costs, and enabled a single driver to complete the workload of two. If ZhiYu's end-to-end large model and unified mobile intelligence foundation can deeply integrate with Foton's vehicle platform, it is expected to further reduce the development costs and adaptation cycles of intelligent driving systems.

The two sides also plan to collaboratively advance the application and demonstration operation of high-level autonomous driving compliance pilot programs and jointly expand overseas markets in the Middle East, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. In the first half of the year, Foton Motor exported 109,000 vehicles overseas, a year-on-year increase of 39%, with heavy truck exports surging by over 63%. It is advancing its "3040 Strategy," aiming to achieve annual overseas sales of 400,000 units and 30% new energy penetration by 2030. Intelligent driving capabilities will become a crucial differentiator for its high-end overseas market competition.

However, the fragmentation of commercial vehicle scenarios is severe, with significant variations in intelligent driving demands across scenarios such as heavy truck trunk lines, urban distribution logistics, port mining areas, and municipal sanitation. A single solution cannot address all needs. Regulatory access for L3/L4 autonomous driving is still in the pilot phase, with supporting systems for accident liability determination, insurance mechanisms, and data compliance yet to be perfected. Whether Foton and ZhiYu's cooperation can translate technical capabilities into measurable operational value, transforming "usable" systems into "user-friendly and frequently used" ones, remains to be validated through real-world operational scenarios.