Harris Group has signed a long-term distribution agreement with Sinotruk, marking its entry into the heavy truck market. The partnership will initially bring 7.5-tonne Sitrak trucks to operators in the UK and Ireland, with customer deliveries scheduled to begin in March 2027.

Harris Group is a British commercial vehicle distributor headquartered in Liverpool, England, and the sole UK and Ireland distributor of the Maxus light commercial vehicle brand. The company reported annual turnover of between £150 million and £200 million.

Sinotruk is a Chinese state-owned truck manufacturer, majority owned by the Chinese central government through China National Heavy Duty Truck Group. Its Hong Kong-listed arm reported revenue of RMB 95.1 billion (approximately €12.2 billion) for full year 2024.

Both Euro-6 diesel and fully electric versions of the 7.5-tonne truck will be offered, Harris Group confirmed, with further models to follow as part of a phased rollout that will eventually include 4x2 middleweight distribution trucks, an 8x4 rigid and a 4x2 tractor unit.

The structural driver is Harris Group's shift from a single light-commercial-vehicle portfolio toward a dual-brand strategy, positioning Sinotruk as a dedicated heavy truck line alongside Maxus vans.

Bill Laidlaw, chief operating officer at Harris Group, said, "We've built a strong reputation representing commercial vehicle brands, and Sinotruk gives us the opportunity to establish a heavy truck range for operators in the UK and Ireland." A nationwide dealer and aftersales network is being developed ahead of the launch, including investment in technical expertise, training and parts supply.

Harris Group chief executive Brian Patterson said the partnership represented a significant milestone for the company, adding, "Our ambition goes well beyond launching another truck brand. We are building a long-term truck business with a nationwide dealer network, strong parts availability, technical expertise and comprehensive aftersales support from the outset. Sinotruk brings enormous manufacturing scale, engineering capability and global experience."

As part of the change, the Maxus eDeliver75 will be withdrawn from the UK market, with Maxus remaining focused on light commercial vehicles through its Deliver panel van range.

Founded in 1956, Sinotruk is China's largest heavy truck manufacturer and has been the country's leading heavy truck exporter for 21 consecutive years, selling approximately 305,000 heavy trucks globally in 2025.

For the sector, the agreement reflects growing appetite among UK and Irish operators for Chinese heavy truck brands as manufacturers expand aftersales infrastructure to support long-term fleet adoption.

Source: FleetNews