New Delhi, Sept. 4 -- Chinese firms, including Sany and Foton, are leading the charge of heavy truck electrification in India even as legacy players like Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland lag behind, raising concerns among Indian executives about low import tariffs on such trucks, which are giving foreign firms an easy route into the market.

Benefiting from low import duties, Chinese truckmakers like Sany have directly started to sell electric truck tractors, a type of heavy-duty truck. Sany has sold 722 trucks in this financial year so far, compared with 5 in the same period last year, while Foton's sales have surged owing to its partnership with Indian firm Energy in Motion (EIM), with sales reaching 151 units in the first five months of f...