Zhongtong Bus Unveils 2026 Full-Series Tour & Group Line-Up and Global Service Brand

Data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism shows that Chinese residents made 4.998 billion domestic trips in the first three quarters of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 18%, while inbound tourism trends such as “Travel-in-China” and “Shop-in-China” rebounded strongly. This booming market is injecting fresh momentum into the passenger transport sector.

Zhongtong Bus held the High-Quality Development Forum for Tourist Transport and launched its upgraded 2026 tour & group coach products on December 5, 2025, in Laiwu District, Jinan, Shandong. The event featured the debut of a comprehensive new lineup and a global service brand under the theme “New Product, New Service, New Value.” At a pivotal moment for China’s tourist transport industry, Zhongtong is leveraging a complete portfolio of innovations to reshape the value chain.

Anchoring the Transition: End-to-End Empowerment

According to the Statistics, China Bus industry sales volume declined, recovered, and is now climbing again (2015–October 2025). Over the past three years, buses for tour and group use have seen simultaneous growth in volume and market share, becoming a key pillar of the market. This trend is driven by the steady rebound of domestic tourism and group commuting, alongside the growing adoption of new-energy coaches. As “transport + tourism” converges and demand shifts toward personalization and premium quality, the core focus is moving from mere “seat-kilometers” to holistic “experience.” This evolution raises the bar for both product and service.

Invited experts noted that diversified travel patterns present both opportunities and challenges, necessitating a fundamental redefinition of bus value. Zhongtong responded in 2023 with its first H9 tour & group bus. Built on an all-new platform, the H-series has since expanded, and the L-series has been comprehensively refreshed. From January to October 2025, Zhongtong’s share of the 8-meter-and-above tour & group segment rose significantly to 11.6%.

“Tourism is entering a high-quality development phase, bringing new opportunities and challenges,” said Wang Xingfu, Chairman of Zhongtong Bus. “Innovation and quality have always been our guiding principles. We continue to increase R&D investment to provide the market and our customers with full-spectrum support—encompassing product, service, and smart solutions—helping the tourist transport sector move upmarket.”

Full-Dimensional Upgrade: Redefining the Quality Benchmark

With safety, comfort, low-carbon operation, and bespoke service now top priorities, Zhongtong has developed its 2026 lineup on dual H-series tracks—diesel and battery-electric—covering every segment from budget to luxury. Forty-six H-platform variants (including the H8, H9, H11, H12, H13, and flagship H13Pro) are already available in both energy types.

The 2026 portfolio unveiled in Jinan addresses three key customer pain points: safety, efficiency, and experience. Diesel models feature a “golden powerchain” for class-leading fuel economy, while electric variants are equipped with dual-gun charging and the SmartHeat 6.0 thermal management system, reducing average energy consumption by 8.6%.

L-platform models (such as the L6, L6E, L7 Pro, and L7E Pro) have been restyled and re-engineered for enhanced aesthetics, ride quality, safety, and uptime. During the ceremony, Zhongtong presented commemorative medals to 44 customers, naming them “Brand Ambassadors” and “First-Launch VIPs” of the 2026 tour & group family.

Three-Pronged Smart Suite: Re-engineering the Value Chain

Advanced hardware is only part of the equation; the other lies in perceptible, data-driven value. Zhongtong’s 2026 Smart Empowerment Solution delivers on three fronts:

Integrated ADAS – Provides 360° predictive warnings and three-tier intervention covering driving and parking scenarios, reducing energy consumption by 5–8%.

Smart Cockpit – Features intelligent climate control, 4D audiovisual entertainment, and AI voice interaction for an immersive passenger experience.

Connected Big-Data Platform – Enables full-cycle fleet management, closing the safety loop before, during, and after each trip while optimizing driver behavior and energy usage.

This integrated package uses intelligent technology to redraw the value curve for tour and group transport, setting new benchmarks in safety, efficiency, and comfort.

Lifecycle Support: “U-Serve” Fosters a Win-Win Ecosystem

In an era where commercial vehicles are becoming digital nodes, operators face growing cost and efficiency pressures and demand higher service quality. A vehicle’s true value now increasingly lies in the lifetime support that surrounds it. Industry competition is shifting from “product-only” to “product + service,” with customers seeking not just a reliable bus, but a dependable profit partner.

At the event, Zhongtong launched “U-Serve,” its upgraded global customer-care system. Built around six “U” pillars—Urgency, Uptime, Uplift, Ultelligence, Ultra-Customized, and Unadulterated—it delivers worry-free, data-enabled, and bespoke support focused on preventing issues rather than merely fixing them.

From reactive repairs to proactive prevention and ecological co-creation, the launch of Zhongtong’s 2026 full-series tour & group products and the U-Serve brand marks another step in the company’s deep dive into value redefinition. It positions Zhongtong to ride the wave of integrated transport and tourism in an age of diversified mobility.