Zhongtong: owner, models, markets and what the name means
Facts checked United States status as of 4 September 2026
Zhongtong builds buses in Liaocheng, Shandong. The works date from 1958 as a vehicle repair factory, started making buses in 1971 and took the Zhongtong name in 1998; the company listed in 2000.
Its plant covers 471,000 square metres with capacity for 30,000 large, medium and light buses a year, across more than 140 models from 5.5 to 27 metres. The line-up includes coaches, city buses, tour buses and specialist vehicles, with a substantial battery-electric range.
The company says it has delivered more than 300,000 buses worldwide, including over 100,000 new-energy buses, in more than 100 countries and regions. Ownership passed to Shandong Heavy Industry Group in August 2018, putting it alongside Weichai Power and Sinotruk under the same provincial parent.
Not part of the groups in this file. Zhongtong Bus is listed in Shenzhen (000957) and became a subsidiary of Shandong Heavy Industry Group in August 2018, when that group took over its former owner Shandong Communications Industry Group. Shandong Heavy Industry also controls Weichai Power and Sinotruk's parent.
Key facts
| Chinese name | 中通 “jong-TONG” 中 'central, China' + 通 'to pass through, to connect' |
|---|---|
| Also written | ZHONGTONG and Zhongtong Bus |
| Owner | Independent |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Headquarters | Liaocheng, China |
| Origin | China |
| Vehicles | Buses and coaches |
| Segment | Commercial |
| United States | Not sold in the United States — Zhongtong buses are not sold in the United States. The company says it sells in more than 100 countries and regions; we did not verify a country list. |
| Official site | www.zhongtongbuses.com/ |
| Founded | 1958 as the Liaocheng Vehicle Manufacturing and Repair Factory; bus production from 1971; renamed Zhongtong in 1998 |
| Capacity | Plant of 471,000 square metres with annual capacity for 30,000 buses |
| Cumulative deliveries | More than 300,000 buses, including over 100,000 new-energy buses, in more than 100 countries and regions |
| Owner | Subsidiary of Shandong Heavy Industry Group since August 2018 |
Who owns Zhongtong?
Shandong Provincial SASAC controls Shandong Heavy Industry Group.
Shandong Heavy Industry Group is a provincial state enterprise supervised by the Shandong state-asset commission. We did not find a published percentage.
Shandong Heavy Industry Group controls Zhongtong since August 2018.
Shandong Heavy Industry Group acquired Zhongtong's former parent, Shandong Communications Industry Group, in August 2018, making the Liaocheng bus maker a subsidiary. No percentage was published in the sources we read.
The full ownership page for Zhongtong · Is Zhongtong Chinese?
Where Zhongtong is sold
Recorded in 1 market : CN. Where a company publishes only its principal markets, that is a floor and not a complete list.
| Country | Code | Market page |
|---|---|---|
| China | CN | no page yet |
Zhongtong: questions people ask
- Who owns Zhongtong Bus?
- Shandong Heavy Industry Group, which acquired its former parent Shandong Communications Industry Group in August 2018. The bus maker remains listed in Shenzhen under code 000957.
- Is Zhongtong related to Yutong?
- No. The names look similar in English because both end in 通, but they are separate companies: Zhongtong is in Liaocheng, Shandong, and state-owned; Yutong is in Zhengzhou, Henan, and privately controlled.
- Does Zhongtong make electric buses?
- Yes. The company says more than 100,000 of the buses it has delivered are new-energy vehicles.
Related
Sources for Zhongtong
- Zhongtong Bus Holding Co., Ltd., About Zhongtong. Read .
- Wikipedia, Zhongtong Bus. Read .