The 2025 Truck of the Year Latin America and Chinese Truck of the Year have been announced and the big wins have gone to Scania and FAW.
In the second edition of the Truck of the Year Award Latin American (ToYLA), the Scania R-series was selected by a jury of 20 journalists and editors from the commercial vehicle press, representing 20 publications from the most important markets in Latin America.
This was the Scania R-series second win in the competition. With 17 votes, the Scania R Euro 6 truck for heavy road transport beat off strong competition from the finalists: Volvo FH, Mercedes-Benz Actros, DAF XF, Iveco S-Way and Volkswagen Meteor.
The jury assessed technological innovations in energy efficiency, safety and driver comfort applied to models over the last 12 months.
The jury said the Scania R represents a family of road trucks that include a variety of engine options for decarbonising transport, such as diesel engines with Euro-6 technology, pure biodiesel (B100) and engines powered by CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) and/or renewable biomethane. In addition, the R line includes the R Super, the only completely new Euro-6 powertrain launched in Brazil, and the Plus range (450 and 540hp).
Meanwhile, the FAW Jiefang J7 Pioneer Edition has won the 2025 Chinese Truck of the Year (CTOY) award. This marks the second time the FAW Jiefang J7 has received the title, following its first win as 2019 Chinese Truck of the Year.
Yu Jing, chairman of the Chinese Truck of the Year Jury, said: “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.”
The FAW Jiefang J7 Pioneer Edition was praised for its exterior design that combines western and Chinese elements, it’s power and efficiency, handling and comfort, and its unique ‘healthy cabin’. This features interiors made with eco-friendly and antibacterial materials safe for direct skin contact, the first 5A-level certification for commercial vehicles, as well as a seven-layer activated carbon filtration system.
Finally, the smart technologies that ‘offer an integrated vehicle-human-road intelligent driving experience’ were praised. These include the human-machine interaction, standard level-2 autonomous driving capability, and high level of electronic safety features.
Truck Innovation Award winners
In line with the parent International Truck of the Year award regime, there was also a presentation for 2025 Truck Innovation Awards. In Latin America, the autonomous Mercedes-Benz Axor won the 2025 Truck Innovation Award Latin America.
Developed by Grunner and other partners and aimed at agribusiness, the Axor is a truck for use in confined environments, such as agribusiness farms, sugar cane fields and other activities in the agricultural sector.
These intelligent vehicles can identify and follow routes autonomously, guided by high-precision GPS, allowing the operator to take over only after loading, ensuring greater efficiency and safety in the operation. The results are a 50% reduction in fuel consumption, 40% less use of lubricants and a 30% reduction in maintenance and parts costs.
With 11 votes out of a possible 20, the Mercedes-Axor with Grunner technology beat competitors such as Volvo VMX Project Stark, Scania P 280 Semi-Autonomous and Volkswagen Constellation Autonomous.
In China, the SuperPanther Black Diamond Heavy Duty eTruck won the 2025 Truck Innovation Award China. SuperPanther is an emerging player in the field of new energy heavy-duty trucks, debuting in March 2022.
The Black Diamond Heavy Duty eTruck is said to be the first intelligent electric heavy-duty truck, featuring and independently developed 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. The truck achieves an energy recovery efficiency of over 80%.
Yu Jing, chairman of the CTOY jury, said: “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.”
