On November 15, 2024, the results of the “2025 Chinese Truck of the Year (CTOY 2025) Evaluation,” hosted by Commercial Vehicle Magazine, were officially announced at Guangzhou International Commercial Vehicle Exhibition, where the FAW Jiefang J7 Pioneer Edition was awarded “2025 Chinese Truck of the Year” (CTOY 2025) for its outstanding performance. This marks the second time the FAW Jiefang J7 has received the title, following its first win in 2018 as “2019 Chinese Truck of the Year.”
Starlight Eye
The award-winning FAW Jiefang J7 Pioneer Edition is undoubtedly another remarkable creation from FAW Jiefang. Its design seamlessly integrates elements from both Chinese and Western cultures. The product’s exterior design was jointly guided and reviewed by Hansson, Industrial Design Director at SCANIA, and Taylor, Global Creative Director of Hongqi. This model features a simple and elegant look, with a “V”-shaped front, a cascade grille, and chrome decorative strips, showcasing strong technological aesthetic. The unique “Starlight Eye” headlights adopt an LED matrix design, forming a highly recognizable “FAW” logo. In addition, the model ingeniously incorporates elements of Chinese poetry, such as snowflake-shaped decorations, showcasing a sophisticated artistic vibe that perfectly combines traditional culture with contemporary design.
Various power options
In terms of performance, the FAW Jiefang J7 Pioneer Edition demonstrates exceptional power, handling, and comfort. It offers various power options, including fuel, gas, and fuel cell configurations. The model can also be equipped with Jiefang’s latest self-developed intelligent power domain, the GD300-3.0, which is specifically designed for high-end express delivery scenarios. This power domain features high power, high efficiency, and high adaptability. The FAW Jiefang J7 Pioneer Edition’s “healthy cabin,” featuring interiors made with eco-friendly and antibacterial materials safe for direct skin contact, has also received the first 5A-level certification for commercial vehicles. It adopts a seven-layer activated carbon filtration system to ensure fresh air for both drivers and passengers, and electromagnetic protection technology to effectively eliminate interference, keeping radiation levels lower than those of mobile phones. Through high-performance sound insulation and noise reduction technology, it offers a sound insulation effect that exceeds Class A standards by more than 5 decibels. These measures comprehensively enhance the well-being and comfort of both drivers and passengers.
L2 autonomous driving capabilities
In terms of smart features, the FAW Jiefang J7 Pioneer Edition excels with a 12.3-inch full LCD instrument panel and a 15.6-inch in-vehicle infotainment screen, providing a brand new human-machine interaction experience. The entire series comes standard with L2-level autonomous driving capabilities and includes an L2++ configuration, effectively reducing driver fatigue during long-distance travel and improving driving comfort. The model is also equipped with high-safety electronic braking technology as a standard configuration, with dual warning, active braking, and other safety functions, providing robust protection during driving. Furthermore, it features a highly accurate in-vehicle fatigue detection system, a high-definition four-camera imaging system for a “zero blind spot” view, and an intelligent tire temperature and pressure monitoring system, ensuring comprehensive safety. Collectively, these smart technologies offer an integrated vehicle-human-road intelligent driving experience. Yu Jing, Chairman of the Chinese Truck of the Year Jury, announced the award and shared the Jury’s comments, stating: “FAW Jiefang J7 Pioneer Edition has comprehensively upgraded its independent core technology, setting a new industry standard in improving the efficiency and ultimate experience of trunk logistics.
2025 Truck Innovation Award (China) (TIAC 2025)
On November 16, 2024, the results of the “2025 Chinese Truck of the Year (CTOY) Evaluation” hosted by Commercial Vehicle Magazine, were released. The SuperPanther Black Diamond Heavy Duty eTruck won the “2025 Truck Innovation Award (China)”. The award was presented to Chao Liu, Chairman and CEO of SuperPanther, by Gianenrico Griffini, Chairman of the International Truck of the Year (ITOY) Jury, and Jing Yu, Chairman of the Chinese Truck of the Year (CTOY) Jury. As the exclusive representative of the ITOY Jury in China, Commercial Vehicle Magazine established the “Chinese Truck of the Year” evaluation in 2015, integrating the selection criteria and successful practices of the European ITOY. In 2023, the Chinese Truck of the Year Jury introduced the “Truck Innovation Award,” a new category launched by the ITOY in 2018. The “Truck Innovation Award (China)” honors a single vehicle each year that showcases innovative technologies and alternative power systems, representing future industry trends in the Chinese market. Only one truck model wins this award annually.
SuperPanther
SuperPanther is an emerging player in the field of new energy heavy-duty trucks. Since its establishment in Liyang, Jiangsu, in March 2022, it has been committed to promoting the development of new energy heavy-duty trucks through technological innovation. Its founding team members have strong backgrounds, including elites from the Department of Automotive Engineering of Tsinghua University and senior experts from German Continental AG. This diverse expertise provides solid support for SuperPanther’s R & D Innovation in the field of new energy heavy-duty trucks.
The award-winning Black Diamond Heavy Duty eTruck premiered globally on April 12, 2024. It is the first intelligent electric heavy-duty truck, particularly designed by SuperPanther for bulk transportation scenarios. In response to the pain points of traditional electric trucks, such as short endurance, heavyweight batteries, and halved endurance in winter, SuperPanther has independently developed a series of core technologies. These include a distributed electric drive axle system, an integrated heat management system, an 800V high-voltage system, and an intelligent chassis domain control system. These innovations have resulted in a 30% increase in range, a 40% improvement in charging efficiency compared to the market average, significantly enhanced low-temperature performance, improved climbing and overtaking capabilities, and increased durability and reliability. As a result, Black Diamond effectively solves the common issues of insufficient power and slow charging, unlocking bulk cargo transport for mountainous areas, long-distance routes, and extreme temperature conditions.
Up to 1,175 horsepower
The SuperPanther Black Diamond boasts a continuous power output of up to 540 horsepower and a peak power of 1,175 horsepower, delivering robust climbing capabilities. Even when fully loaded at 49 tons, the Black Diamond can maintain a steady speed of 70 km/h on a 3% grade and 50 km/h on a 4% grade. Thanks to its self-developed core systems, the truck achieves an energy recovery efficiency of over 80%. In real-world testing conducted by users in mountainous bulk transport scenarios, the Black Diamond recorded an exceptionally low comprehensive energy consumption of just 55 kWh per 100 km for both empty and fully loaded conditions, demonstrating its outstanding efficiency and competitive edge.
The SuperPanther Black Diamond not only delivers low energy consumption and high performance but also places a significant emphasis on safety. By adopting a bottom-mounted battery design, the vehicle has lowered its center of mass by 377 mm. This change significantly improves the vehicle’s anti-rollover ability and driving stability. At the same time, the increased ground clearance of the battery box effectively minimizes the risk of collision. Moreover, the eTruck is equipped with CATL’s latest generation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for heavy-duty trucks. These batteries have reached a benchmark level in PACK safety, providing solid support for the vehicle’s stable operation. To further enhance battery safety, SuperPanther has incorporated a reinforced protective frame and guard plate around the battery. These features are designed to effectively shield against collisions and impacts from flying stone in harsh environments. Besides, they also provide effective thermal insulation for the battery.
Various driving scenarios
In terms of intelligence, the vehicle also demonstrates excellent performance. It achieves precise control of power output through distributed electric drive axles and time-sharing control algorithms. This optimizes energy allocation and enhances the vehicle’s overall power performance and transmission efficiency. The application of chassis domain control and vehicle digitalization technology allows the Black Diamond to adapt and evolve continuously based on various driving scenarios, providing an open architecture ready for future autonomous driving systems.
Yu Jing, Chairman of Chinese Truck of the Year Jury, summarized the comments of the Jury as follows: “With full-stack in-house developed technology at its core, the SuperPanther Black Diamond Heavy Duty eTruck unlocks new energy transportation scenarios through leading technology. This offers a new choice for cost reduction and efficiency enhancement in the new energy heavy truck market.”