Chinese electric truck companies are expanding their European presence.
SuperPanther and Sinotruck are following in the footsteps of Xpeng and GAC, using local contract manufacturers.
The move lowers costs and allows small brands to move quickly.
SuperPanther sounds like a cartoon character, but it’s actually one of the few Chinese truck companies that have managed to establish a presence in Europe. The name is just four years old, and yet it has tapped into the region’s contract manufacturing sector to assemble and deliver big rigs faster than traditional brands.
The startup’s eTopas 600 battery-powered model—which sounds like a jab at the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600— is now rolling off Steyr Automotive’s assembly line in Austria, with the first finished units going to customers like DHL, Gress, Temmel, and Lontex. Sinotruk, China's largest heavy truck manufacturer, made the same move back in March.
