A license agreement for the construction of buses with a self-supporting body was signed with the Setra bus brand, which now belongs to the Daimler subsidiary EvoBus.

In the years that followed, Ankai played a key role in building the nationwide long-distance bus network with modern vehicles that meet western comfort and safety standards.

In September 2002, scheduled bus services from Inner Mongolia to the capital Beijing began using Ankai-Setra buses.

It was the first time that buses from China entered the US market; this was preceded by lengthy negotiations with the approval and import authorities.

In the same year, double-decker buses were sold on the South African market, which had previously been dominated by British models.