Official Vehicle of the 2026 Jinggangshan Half Marathon: BAIC Foton Escorts the "Red Course" with Hard-Core Technology
On October 18, the 2026 Jinggangshan Half Marathon flagged off in front of the Jinggangshan Municipal Government square. First staged in 2017 and now in its sixth edition, the race is a Class A certified event of the Chinese Athletics Association and this year carried the theme "Meet in Jinggangshan, Run the Road to Victory," drawing a field of 6,000 participants. BAIC Group took part as the title sponsor, and BAIC Foton Motor assembled an official support fleet made up of the Toano X6 EV, the Toano X8 EV, the Mars 7 pickup and the General EV pickup. The fleet covered the event's most critical service links — referee shuttling, volunteer transport and materials logistics — backing the race with proven product capability.
Green shuttling built for a demanding mountain course
In a marathon, getting referees and volunteers to their posts on time is the baseline for a smooth event. The Jinggangshan course is known for its elevation changes and long runs of tight corners, which place severe demands on the comfort, power delivery and range of support vehicles. Both the Toano X6 EV and Toano X8 EV deployed by BAIC Foton are fully electric, making them a natural fit for high-frequency, multi-batch personnel shuttling.
With years of experience in the passenger-transport segment, Foton Toano has focused on the real pain points of B-end operators and tourism fleets, using its dedicated V3 platform to create a new "business-class MPV" category. The Toano X6 EV is nimble in traffic and efficient on the road; its zero-emission, low-noise character is especially valuable during the early-morning preparation phase, when disturbance to nearby residents and athletes must be minimized. On the comfort side, powered sliding doors and automatically extending steps make boarding and alighting easier for referees and volunteers, while a quiet cabin — with interior noise as low as 44 decibels — offers a genuinely restful space between duties.
The Toano X8 EV, in turn, wins on cabin width and ride comfort, suiting group shuttles for officials and volunteer teams. Its ergonomic seat layout and strong NVH control keep the ride smooth and quiet even through continuous mountain switchbacks. The passenger area is fitted with Nappa leather aviation seats featuring ventilation, heating and leg-rest adjustment, with generous seat spacing that eliminates the cramped feeling on long sits. A folding display, USB charging ports, privacy glass and full-window curtains balance ceremony with practicality, making the vehicle ideal for referee and volunteer reception.
From referees to volunteers, from the start line to the finish, Foton Toano served as the indispensable "ferryman" behind the race with green, efficient and dependable shuttling. Foton Auv buses also handled volunteer transport, further demonstrating BAIC Foton's ability to support large-scale events with a multi-scenario, multi-series product portfolio.
Hard-core capability: supplies delivered, no matter what
A 6,000-person marathon requires multiple aid stations along the course, with drinking water, energy gels and cooling sponges that must arrive on time and in sufficient quantity. BAIC Foton's pickup trucks took on this critical task.
The Mars 7 is a full-size wide-body off-roader featuring an industry-first 48-volt mild-hybrid powertrain that delivers strong output, so it climbs and pulls away fully loaded without strain. Even at maximum cargo weight it handles the steep gradients and continuous bends of the Jinggangshan mountains with composure, ensuring all supplies were in place before the race began. Its 5.837-metre length and 2.1-metre width provide ample room for heavy load carrying. On safety, a high-strength cage-type body resists deformation in a collision, and 1,500 MPa door anti-collision beams stand up to impact and crushing.
The General EV pickup, with its zero-emission advantage, carried out low-noise, pollution-free supply transfers along the course. A maximum range of 535 km keeps high-frequency transport running without interruption through race day, while its extra-wide flat cargo bed paired with a heavy-duty chassis swallows oversized loads and stays structurally solid under repeated loading. Dual-channel external power output of 25 kW, with a maximum discharge power of 26 kW, also lets the vehicle act as mobile power support for emergency race equipment.
Trust earned through dependable quality
On race day the support vehicles worked continuously from the early hours until the event concluded. Referee and volunteer shuttles departed on schedule, personnel reached their posts on time, and aid-station supplies never ran dry. Across multiple scenarios and sustained high-intensity operation, the four BAIC Foton models completed every assignment with zero failures and high efficiency. That stability under real-world conditions is a direct validation of product quality and performance, and a concentrated display of full-scenario adaptability. Notably, Jiangxi is a key origin market and core battleground of BAIC Foton's "Southern Strategy." The company operates a small- and micro-truck southern production base in Jingdezhen with annual capacity of 120,000 units, using it as a hub to reach the wider southern market. In recent years Foton has deepened its presence in Jiangxi with steadily rising sales and market share, and supporting the Jinggangshan Half Marathon is another practical step in serving regional users.
The core of the Jinggangshan spirit is firm conviction, hard struggle and the courage to blaze a new path; the core of the marathon spirit is challenging oneself, pushing past limits and never giving up. BAIC's more than 60 years of development have themselves been a marathon of blazing new trails and never stopping. As the core commercial-vehicle arm of BAIC Group, BAIC Foton keeps running on its own track with the same conviction and continuous innovation.
Looking ahead, BAIC Foton will continue to support major sporting events with dependable products and quality service, while deepening its presence in Jiangxi and nationwide, using product strength and scenario-based solutions to deliver higher operating returns for users. On this red land of Jinggangshan, BAIC Foton is steadily building its own acceleration.