Who owns Foton? The ownership chain, BAIC Group's stake and the 1996 deal
Facts checked Chinese holding 100%
Foton is Chinese and state-owned, as a subsidiary of BAIC. It is one of China's largest commercial-vehicle makers, selling trucks, vans and buses in more than a hundred markets. Foton was also the money and the factory behind the German marque Borgward, which filed for bankruptcy in Beijing on 8 April 2022.
BAIC Group is the controlling shareholder of Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd., which is listed in Shanghai under 600166 and was founded on 28 August 1996. The exact holding was not verified for this entry.
The short answer
| Controlled by | BAIC Group |
|---|---|
| Stake | not published |
| Since | 1996 |
| Kind | brand |
| Origin | CN |
| Name in Chinese | 福田 “foo-TYEN” |
| Top of the chain | Beijing Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission |
| Is it Chinese? | Yes |
The chain, step by step
Beijing Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission owns BAIC Group at 100%.
BAIC Group is a municipal state-owned enterprise held by the Beijing city government rather than by the central SASAC. The date the present holding structure took its current form was not verified for this entry.
BAIC Group controls Foton since 1996.
BAIC Group is the controlling shareholder of Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd., which is listed in Shanghai under 600166 and was founded on 28 August 1996. The exact holding was not verified for this entry.
| Holder | Holds | Kind | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission | BAIC Group | owns | 100% | not published |
| BAIC Group | Foton | controls | controls | 1996 |
Former holdings
Holdings that ended, kept out of the tables above so nothing current reads as past or the reverse.
| Holding | What it is | Share | Since | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borgward Group AG | formerly held | not published | not published | Borgward Group AG was registered in 2008 by Christian Borgward, a grandson of the founder, and Karlheinz Knoess; BAIC's truck subsidiary Foton supplied the investment and built the cars in China, and the first SUVs reached the market in January 2017. The company filed for bankruptcy in Beijing on 8 April 2022. The size of Foton's holding, and reports that most of it was sold to a Chinese ride-hailing investor in 2019, were not verified for this record. |
Foton: questions people ask
- Who owns Foton?
- BAIC Group is Foton's controlling shareholder. Foton itself is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange under 600166, so it also has public shareholders.
- What does Foton mean?
- The Chinese name 福田 (Fútián) means 'field of blessing', a Buddhist term for good works that yield merit. Foton is a coined English spelling of the sound.
- What does Foton make?
- Commercial vehicles: light and heavy trucks, mini trucks, pickups, vans, buses and electric versions of most of them.
- Is Foton sold in the US?
- No. Foton has no US sales operation and the sources consulted show no plan to enter.
Related
Sources for Foton
- Wikipedia, Foton Motor. Read . Founding date, headquarters, product lines, 2022 revenue and staff, Daimler and Cummins ventures, overseas markets
- Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd., Foton International. Read . Official international site: product families and export activity
- StockAnalysis, Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd. (SSE: 600166). Read . FY2025 revenue, net income and employee count
- Wikipedia, Borgward. Read . Beiqi Foton's investment and manufacturing, and the April 2022 bankruptcy.
- Wikipedia, BAIC Group. Read . Names the Beijing Municipal Government as owner
- Beijing Automotive Group Co., Ltd., 集团简介 (Group profile). Read . BAIC describes itself as a state-owned enterprise