Official Vehicle Partner of the 2026 Jinggangshan Half Marathon: BAIC Foton Guards the "Red Course" with Hard-Core Technology

On October 18, the 2026 Jinggangshan Half Marathon got under way with a starting gun fired at the Jinggangshan Municipal People's Government square. First staged in 2017, the race has now reached its sixth edition. As a Class-A certified event of the Chinese Athletics Association, this year's edition carried the theme "Meet in Jinggangshan, Run the Road to Victory" and attracted a field of 6,000 participants.

BAIC Group took part as the event's title sponsor. Within the group, BAIC Foton assembled an official support fleet made up of the Toano X6 EV and Toano X8 EV electric vans alongside the Mars 7 and General EV pickup trucks. The fleet covered the race's most critical logistical links — referee shuttling, volunteer transport and materials delivery — providing solid, on-the-ground backup with proven product capability.

Green Shuttle Service Built for the Jinggangshan Course

In any marathon, the punctual arrival of referees and volunteers is the foundation on which the event runs. The Jinggangshan course is known for its steep elevation changes and long strings of bends, placing severe demands on the comfort, power and range of support vehicles. The Toano X6 EV and Toano X8 EV dispatched by BAIC Foton are both fully electric, making them a close fit for high-frequency, multi-batch personnel shuttling.

Having worked in the passenger-transport segment for many years, Foton Toano focuses on the real pain points of B-end operators, coach companies and cultural-tourism agencies. Built on the dedicated V3 platform, it has opened up a new "business-class MPV" category. The Toano X6 EV is nimble in traffic and efficient on the road thanks to its electric drive; its zero-emission, low-noise character is especially valuable during the early-morning preparation phase, when minimising disturbance to nearby residents and athletes matters most. For comfort, powered sliding doors and automatic retracting steps make boarding and alighting easier for referees and volunteers, while a quietness package across the whole vehicle brings cabin noise down to just 44 decibels, offering a genuinely restful space between duties.

The Toano X8 EV, in turn, leads with a roomier cabin and a more comfortable ride, suiting group shuttling of referees or volunteer teams. Its human-centred seating layout and strong NVH control deliver a smooth, quiet ride even through continuous mountain corners. The passenger area is fitted with Nappa leather aviation seats featuring ventilation, heating and adjustable leg rests, with generous seat pitch so that long hours seated never feel oppressive. Details such as a folding ceiling television, USB charging ports, privacy glass and full-window curtains balance a sense of occasion with everyday practicality — an ideal match for referee and volunteer reception.

From referees to volunteers, from start line to finish line, Foton Toano became an indispensable "ferryman" behind the race through green, efficient and dependable shuttle service. Foton AUV coaches also took on volunteer transport duties, further demonstrating BAIC Foton's breadth across multiple scenarios and product families in servicing major sporting events, and the brand responsibility that comes with it.

Hard-Core Capability: Materials Delivery, Mission Always Accomplished

A 6,000-runner marathon requires multiple refreshment stations along the course, with drinking water, energy gels, cooling sponges and similar supplies delivered on time and in full. BAIC Foton's pickup trucks carried out this key task.

The Mars 7 is a full-size wide-body off-road pickup and an industry first with its 48V mild-hybrid powertrain, which delivers strong output so that pulling away fully loaded or climbing steep grades costs no effort. Even carrying a full load of race supplies it handled Jinggangshan's steep gradients and continuous bends with composure, ensuring every item reached its post before the start. Its 5.837-metre length and 2.1-metre width give heavy-load transport ample room. On safety, a high-strength cage-type body resists deformation in a collision, while 1,500 MPa anti-collision beams in the doors stand up to impact and crushing.

The General EV pickup, meanwhile, used its zero-emission advantage to run low-noise, pollution-free supply transfers along the course. Its maximum range of 535 km kept high-frequency deliveries uninterrupted throughout race day; an ultra-wide, completely flat cargo bed paired with a heavy-duty chassis swallows oversized loads with a sturdy structure well suited to refreshment supplies. A 25 kW dual-circuit high-power V2L outlet, with maximum discharge power of 26 kW, also gave race emergency equipment mobile electrical support.

BAIC Foton: Earning Trust through Dependable Quality

On race day the support vehicles worked continuously from the early hours until the event closed. Referee and volunteer shuttles departed on schedule, personnel reached their posts on time, and supplies never ran short. Across multiple scenarios and under high-intensity operation, BAIC Foton's four models completed every duty with zero breakdowns and high efficiency. That consistent performance under real-world conditions is a forceful validation of the company's product quality, and a concentrated display of its all-scenario adaptability.

Worth noting is that Jiangxi is a key birthplace and core market of BAIC Foton's "Southern Strategy". The company operates a mini and light truck southern production base in Jingdezhen with annual capacity of 120,000 units, using it as the hub from which it radiates across southern China. In recent years Foton has continued to deepen its presence in the Jiangxi market, with both sales volume and market share rising steadily. Guarding the Jinggangshan Half Marathon is another practical step in that commitment to serving regional users.

The core of the Jinggangshan spirit is firm conviction, hard struggle and the courage to blaze new trails; the core of the marathon spirit is challenging oneself, pushing beyond limits and never giving up. The more than sixty years of BAIC's development have themselves been a marathon of blazing new trails and never stopping. As the core commercial vehicle arm of BAIC Group, BAIC Foton likewise keeps running on the commercial vehicle course with firm conviction and continuous innovation.

Looking ahead, BAIC Foton says it will continue to support more major events with dependable products and high-quality service, while deepening its work in Jiangxi and nationwide so that product strength and scenario-based solutions deliver higher operating efficiency to users. On this red land of Jinggangshan, BAIC Foton is running at its own accelerating pace.