Chinese self-driving technology firm ZYT is edging closer to mass production of semi-autonomous trucks that can improve fuel efficiency and save logistics costs, likely to benefit the country’s manufacturing businesses amid a global energy crisis.

The Shenzhen-based start-up, a spin-off from drone maker DJI, has formed partnerships with mainland China’s top six heavy-truck makers to produce models fitted with its navigation on autopilot (NOA) systems, with the first deliveries expected as early as the second half of 2026, according to ZYT’s vice-president Yu Beibei.

“Trucks, unlike passenger vehicles, are of big economic value to manufacturing and logistics companies,” she said in an interview. “They are willing to pay a premium to own and operate the lorries that prove to be more efficient.”

Initial evidence showed the trucks using ZYT’s NOA systems could save 3 per cent on fuel costs a year, according to the company.

The NOA systems are classified as either Level 2 (L2) or L2+, requiring ­drivers to keep their hands on the wheel at all times.

The vehicles would operate in semi-autonomous mode while plying the highways between cities, with their preliminary self-driving technologies helping them navigate their routes efficiently, yielding lower fuel consumption.