Sinotruk, HOWO, CNHTC, Sinotruk (Hong Kong), and China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Co., Ltd. are not competing companies. They are different names used for different purposes inside the same group.

Think of them as one family using different names at work, at home, and on official documents.

Why so many names cause confusion

If you are new to Chinese heavy trucks, this situation feels strange. You see:

• Sinotruk on trucks and websites

• HOWO on the front grille

• CNHTC in documents

• Sinotruk (Hong Kong) on the stock market

• China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Co., Ltd. in official introductions

It feels like five different companies. In reality, it is one core group, presented through different layers.

Start from the core: the legal entity

At the center is:

China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Co., Ltd.

This is the formal, legal name of the group.
It is the “full name” you would see on government records, contracts, and official registrations.

If this were a person, this would be the name on the passport.

CNHTC: the shortened internal name

CNHTC stands for China National Heavy Duty Truck Corporation.

This is simply an abbreviation used:

• internally

• in older documents

• in technical or industrial contexts

CNHTC is not a separate company. It is a shorter way to refer to the same group.

Think of it like using initials instead of a full name.

Sinotruk: the global-facing brand

Sinotruk is the international-facing name.

This is the name used:

• in export markets

• on English websites

• in overseas marketing

• in global cooperation

When international buyers say “Sinotruk”, they are usually referring to the entire group and its products.

This is the name chosen to be easy to recognize and remember outside China.

HOWO: the product brand you actually see

HOWO is not the company. It is a truck brand under Sinotruk.

HOWO is:

• a product line

• a commercial brand

• what you see on the truck itself

Sinotruk owns HOWO, just like an automotive group owns multiple vehicle brands.

That is why you can correctly say:

• “HOWO is made by Sinotruk”

• but not “HOWO owns Sinotruk”

Sinotruk (Hong Kong): the capital and listing platform

Sinotruk (Hong Kong) Limited is a publicly listed company.

Its role is mainly:

• capital operations

• investment and financing

• international transparency

It represents part of the group in the financial market, not a separate truck manufacturer.

This is similar to how many large industrial groups use a listed company as a window to global investors.

Putting it all together (simple structure)

You can understand the relationship like this:

• China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Co., Ltd.
  → the legal parent company

• CNHTC
  → the abbreviation

• Sinotruk
  → the global brand name

• HOWO
  → the truck brand / product line

• Sinotruk (Hong Kong)
  → the listed and financial platform

All of them point back to the same core group.

Why this structure actually makes sense

Some buyers think multiple names mean chaos. In reality, this structure is very common for large industrial groups.

It allows:

• clear legal identity

• flexible branding

• strong international presence

• easier financing

What matters to you is not the number of names, but whether:

• the parts network is stable

• the products are consistent

• the support system is reliable

In this case, the naming structure does not weaken the brand. It supports it.

Common misunderstandings (cleared once and for all)

Is HOWO a separate company from Sinotruk?
No. HOWO is a brand owned by Sinotruk.

Is CNHTC different from Sinotruk?
No. CNHTC is an abbreviation, not a different company.

Does Sinotruk (Hong Kong) manufacture trucks?
No. It is mainly for listing and capital operations.

Why do documents use different names?
Different contexts require different naming layers: legal, commercial, or financial.

Final thought

Once you understand the structure, the confusion disappears.
You are not choosing between names. You are choosing products made by the same industrial group, presented through different channels.

If an article makes this feel complicated, it is overexplaining.
If it makes it feel simple, you now understand it correctly.