Sinotruk Group, mainland China's largest heavy-duty truck maker, is expected to build manufacturing plants in Taiwan, the Taipei Times reported recently.

The Shandong province-based truck group, whose shares are traded in Hong Kong through Sinotruk Hong Kong Ltd., "has made a preliminary decision to build factories at Changpin Industrial Park in central Taiwan," the island's administrative department said.

Sinotruk was considering investing up to 1 billion Chinese yuan ($146 million) on its planned assembly plants at the Changpin Industrial Park in Changhua County, and the investment could reach $158 million, Taiwan media said.

Sinotruk chairman Ma Chunji has expressed an interest in visiting Taiwan this year, a local official said recently, adding that the truck-maker's plans to build plants on the island will take some time to finalize.

Sinotruk markets its products under the Howo, Sitaier King, Sitaier and Huanghe brands. Reportedly, the company plans to ship vehicles produced in Taiwan to the US and European markets.

Last year, Sinotruk Group sold 125,018 vehicles, up 11.61 percent, and in the first four months of this year, its heavy truck sales grew 48.56 percent from a year earlier to 35,544 units.