Central Asia is increasingly updating public transport, and Chinese manufacturers have taken a key place in this process. One of the main players in this market is Yutong, which has supplied thousands of buses to the region in recent years and now sells here not just equipment, but an entire model of transport modernization: with adaptation to local conditions, service, digital monitoring and a wide range of vehicles – from diesel to hydrogen.
This was clearly visible at the Yutong plant in Zhengzhou, China, where journalists, carriers, dealers and officials from Central Asian countries were invited in April.
The trip was intended as a demonstration of the company’s production capabilities, but in essence answered a more important question: why are Chinese buses today becoming the basis for updating urban transport in the region?
Numbers that explain everything
Yutong is not just a large factory. This is a manufacturer that has already formed a market reality. In 2025 the company sold 49,518 buses. The world market share was 11.6%, and within China the company controls about 36% of the national market for several years.
Total exports exceeded 230 thousand, of which more 210 thousand passenger buses sold – on new energy sources – electric buses and using hybrid technologies.
For transport departments in Central Asia, which need to quickly renew worn-out fleets and do it in large quantities, these figures are the main argument. Yutong can produce what others cannot supply in the required volume and time frame.
Central Asia: who bought how much?
Yutong identifies the region as a separate strategic direction. The company sold about 15 thousand buses of various lines in this market: Kazakhstan – 107,000, Uzbekistan – 2,158, Turkmenistan – 1,029, Kyrgyzstan – 970, Tajikistan – 43.
The gap between Kazakhstan and other countries is several times. For Yutong, Kazakhstan has long become a systemic market: localized production operates there, hundreds of buses are sold annually. Uzbekistan is following the same trajectory – as part of the April event, entrepreneurs from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan signed contracts of approximately for 500 buses of different models.
Tajikistan: 43 buses and an open question
Compared to its neighbors, the situation in Tajikistan looks different – there are only 43 buses. Of this number, 40 electric buses will be supplied under the EBRD grant.
We asked Yutong’s director for Central Asia, Yuri Li (Li Haifeng), why Tajikistan has purchased so few buses and whether negotiations are ongoing on the supply.
“The sale of buses depends on the demand of the other party and the size of the market. Now in Dushanbe the public transport fleet is being actively updated and they are switching to electric buses. This is a good chance and a good opportunity for us. We held negotiations with local authorities, entrepreneurs and carriers. We will continue to work with them to expand our presence in your country. We are ready to provide the local population with comfortable, adapted buses and electric buses of various lines of high quality,” noted He.
Adaptation: not a “standard bus”, but a point solution
One of the key points that was made in the presentations: a bus for a specific city must not only be produced, but adapted.
Before delivery to a new region, Yutong specialists go to the site to study the climate, roads, terrain, traffic intensity and operating conditions. Only after this are the parameters of the car determined: body reinforcement, insulation of battery compartments, heating systems, ground clearance.
For example, for Astana, one of the coldest capitals in the world, a special modification of the electric bus was developed with an independent water heating system and enhanced thermal insulation of battery blocks.
For Central Asia, with its heat, dust, elevation changes and complex road infrastructure, such an approach is not marketing, but a practical necessity.
How is the bus checked before departure?
A separate and important block of the visit is the testing complex. Before the bus leaves for the buyer, it goes through several types of stress tests.
In special climate chambers, cars are tested at temperatures from −40 to +40 degrees – this is exactly the range that operators in Kazakhstan and the mountainous regions of Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia face. Then the buses are driven through sprinklers, checking the tightness of the body. The final test is water obstacles: the car drives into a pool so that the engine is under water. If after this the bus continues to operate normally, the test has been passed.
There is a state testing shop on the territory of the plant: all units and components undergo state examination. This is not internal quality control, but external verification – a requirement that Yutong complies with without fail.
Service as part of the deal
The region has long learned: the main thing is not only to buy, but also to service it later. This is why Yutong talks about the aftermarket model in such detail.
The company declares online support 24/7a network of spare parts warehouses around the world, service centers and field teams. Fundamentally important condition: when ordering over 100 buses Yutong is ready to send its representative to the operating city at your own expense. This specialist works on site and quickly fixes problems – without waiting for a response from China and without additional costs for the buyer.
In addition, the company uses a digital fleet management system Link+ — a platform for monitoring the condition of buses in real time. At Busworld Europe 2025, it was Link+ that won the Gold Prize in the Busworld Digital Award category, ahead of systems from ZF and Bosch.
Recognition in Europe
Yutong’s scale and ambitions are confirmed not only by sales figures, but also by the assessments of the international professional community.
At the world’s largest trade fair Busworld Europe 2025, held in Brussels in October 2025, Yutong received seven awards out of twelve possible. The U15 city bus won the Grand Award Bus, beating out the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro and Ebusco 3.0. The T14E travel electric coach received the Grand Award Coach. Electric intercity bus IC12E – Label of Excellence Ecology Coach. In addition, the U15 received awards in the safety, environmental and design categories.
Busworld jury chairman Mark van Houte commented on the result bluntly: “Yutong has kept a close eye on what the European market needs.”
The victory of the Chinese manufacturer in the competition, which is traditionally considered European, became a clear signal for the industry: we are no longer talking about a regional plant, but about a global player.
Factory where there is no dust
And one more thing – the first thing you notice on the territory of Yutong is the cleanliness. Not conditional, not “for guests,” but systemic. The production complex with an area of more than 1.1 million square meters is surrounded by greenery: trees, shrubs, flower beds. The paths between the workshops are so clean that it seems inappropriate to even throw down wrapping paper.
At the plant itself, there was not a stain of oil or metal shavings on the floor. The workers are in uniform, the machines are arranged with geometric precision. Eco-friendliness here is not a marketing slogan, but part of the production culture.
Guests are transported around the grounds on a small, unmanned shuttle from Yutong. It glides silently between the hulls, without a driver, without a steering wheel. The company is clearly showing that this is not just about today’s market. We are talking about the next stage – autonomous transport and automation of urban technology. By the way, the same buses have already been launched in several cities in China as an experiment.
Yutong is more than just passenger transport. The company produces trucks and special equipmentincluding solutions for utilities. One example is unmanned municipal vehicles that work at night: cleaning streets, watering trees and performing other urban work without a driver, which are already actively operating in Zhengzhou.
