The start of series production marks the first customer deliveries of a Chinese-developed electric heavy-duty truck manufactured in Europe through a localized industrial partnership.
Series production of SuperPanther starts in Steyr
SuperPanther has started series production of the eTopas 600 at Steyr Automotive in Steyr. On 27 July, the first regular series-produced 4x2 electric tractor unit rolled off the final assembly line at the Upper Austrian plant. The milestone was celebrated at Steyr Automotive with representatives of both companies, including Chao Liu, Founder and CEO of SuperPanther; Dr Michael Ruf, President Europe of SuperPanther; Siegfried Wolf, Owner and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Steyr Automotive GmbH; and Manfred Eibeck, Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Steyr Automotive GmbH, highlighting the close industrial partnership behind the programme.
“Europe doesn’t need another imported truck. It needs another industrial partner.” says Chao Liu, CEO of SuperPanther. “That has been our approach from day one. By combining our technology platform with European manufacturing, validation and service capabilities, we are building a European product together with Europe.”
Final assembly and validation in Steyr
The eTopas 600 is produced using a semi-knocked-down (SKD) manufacturing approach, with pre-assembled modules integrated during final assembly at Steyr Automotive. SuperPanther supplies core systems including the dual-motor e-axle, high-voltage power electronics and thermal management system, while European industrial partners such as ZF, Schaeffler, Aumovio, Infineon, Michelin, Continental, Goodyear and Castrol contribute additional systems and components. Steyr Automotive is responsible for final assembly, commissioning and quality acceptance.
“Our shared goal is clear: strong engineering needs strong manufacturing,” said Siegfried Wolf, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Steyr Automotive GmbH.“Every vehicle leaving this plant must meet our agreed quality standards before it reaches the customer. The labels ‘SuperPanther’ and ‘by Steyr Automotive’ both stand for that.”
“Our aim is to realize the eTopas 600 as a European series product: with local adaptations, validation and manufacturing processes on site,” explains Dr Michael Ruf, SuperPanther’s head of Europe. “We do not see Europe as a market that can simply be supplied – we see it as a system in which a vehicle has to function from a regulatory, industrial and operational perspective.”
First vehicles delivered to DHL, GRESS, TEMMEL and LONTEX
As part of the ceremony, SuperPanther handed over the first series-produced vehicles to three launch customers: DHL, one of the world's leading logistics companies and a long-standing partner in SuperPanther's European trials; GRESS, an Germann road transport operator; TEMMEL here the eTOPAS is in regular use in Austria at Europe’s highest-turnover retailer and LONTEX, a well-established commercial vehicle service provider in Poland and the Czech Republic. This marks the start of regular commercial operations of the eTopas 600 in Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Poland and Czech.
Powertrain, battery and charging: key figures
The eTopas 600 is designed for a gross combination weight rating of 42 tons and enables a high payload with an unladen weight of 10.8 tons. The dual-motor e-axle delivers 394 kW continuous and 692 kW peak power, while the 876-volt system architecture is powered by a 621 kWh LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery from CATL, designed for up to 4,500 full charging cycles and a service life of up to 1.2 million kilometers or eight years.
Since March 2026, the customer trial fleet has accumulated more than 70,000 kilometres across key European markets under real commercial operations. “Across different routes, payloads and duty cycles, average energy consumption has remained around 0.95 kWh per kilometer, supporting the recent test-result of “Truck Star” magazine, stating that eTopas600 is more efficient than any other eTruck they tested. Many fleet operators have described the eTopas 600 as among the most energy-efficient electric trucks they have tested.” says Dr Michael Ruf, “This performance is not driven by any single component, but by the continuous interaction of our in-house developed core systems. Through a software-defined vehicle architecture, the powertrain, thermal management, power electronics and energy management system are continuously optimized to operate as a single integrated system.”
For charging, CCS2 inlets on both sides of the vehicle enable simultaneous parallel charging at two charge points. In practical tests, the dual-gun charging capability delivered a peak power of up to 646.7 kW, with a stable average of 635 kW, bringing the state of charge from 20 to 80 percent in under 38 minutes, provided two suitable CCS2 charge points are available simultaneously. Under real European operating conditions with mixed payload, the vehicle achieves a range around 600km without fully discharging. The integrated thermal management system with low-temperature heat pump is designed to support reliable operation in ambient temperatures ranging from −35°C to +40°C.
Service: Alltrucks cooperation and build-up of own structures
For maintenance and repairs, SuperPanther cooperates with the independent workshop network Alltrucks, including 24/7 breakdown service. In parallel, the company is building qualification programmes for service technicians, spare parts logistics, and remote diagnostics and over-the-air functions (wireless software updates).
Contact
For inquiries, please contact:
Mail: info@steyr-automotive.com
Phone: +43 7252 585-0