BAIC Foton and ZF Strategic Cooperation Bears Fruit Again: First AxTrax 2 e-Drive Axle Rolls Off Production Line

On June 22, BAIC Foton and ZF achieved another milestone in their strategic partnership — the first AxTrax 2 e-drive axle rolled off the production line at their joint venture factory in Jiaxing, marking a critical step for BAIC Foton in gaining a decisive voice in the core components sector of new energy commercial vehicles, transforming strategic布局 into tangible results. Zhang Lan, Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Management Committee of Jiaxing Economic and Technological Development Zone; Chang Rui, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and General Manager of BAIC Group, and Chairman of BAIC Foton; Lu Zhenghua, Party Secretary and General Manager of BAIC Foton; Cui Shipeng, Vice President of BAIC Foton and Chairman of ZF Foton; Andreas Moser, Member of the ZF Board of Management, responsible for the Commercial Vehicle Solutions and Industrial Technology divisions; along with hundreds of distinguished guests from government, shareholders, partners, and the media, gathered together to witness this milestone moment.

01 Seizing the Momentum of Industrial Transformation, Strategic Layout Bears Fruit

The automotive industry is currently undergoing a once-in-a-century transformation, with electrification and intelligentization sweeping the globe. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the domestic commercial vehicle market is expected to stabilize at around 3.2 million units, with new energy penetration projected to reach 50% by 2030, and L2+ level intelligent driving in commercial vehicles reaching 30%. Meanwhile, geopolitical dynamics are reshaping the global energy supply chain, making energy independence a strategic priority for nations and accelerating the commercial vehicle industry's transition from fuel-driven to electric-driven systems.

Based on this deep insight into industry trends, in April 2023, BAIC Foton and ZF signed a strategic agreement to introduce ZF's latest e-drive technology to China for the first time, with production based in Jiaxing. After three years of meticulous construction and preparation, the AxTrax 2 e-drive axle officially rolled off the production line at the joint venture factory, turning this strategic blueprint into reality.

As ZF's integrated e-drive axle platform designed for next-generation commercial vehicles, the AxTrax 2 can be applied to medium and heavy-duty vehicles, replacing engines, transmissions, driveshafts, differentials, and conventional axles with a modular design to achieve commercial vehicle electrification. The product rolling off the line is equipped with a 930V silicon carbide inverter, delivering a continuous output power of 210 kW and a peak torque of 26,000 N·m, featuring a 3-speed transmission and electronic shift actuator. Its compact design maximizes battery space while achieving full synchronization with vehicle braking, ADAS, and autonomous driving systems, providing an efficient and intelligent system solution for commercial vehicle electrification.

02 Jiaxing Base Continues to Empower, Joint Venture Cooperation Reaches New Heights

Since BAIC Foton and ZF established their joint venture in Jiaxing in 2017, their cooperation has continued to deepen. To date, the BAIC Foton-ZF transmission joint venture factory has achieved cumulative sales revenue of 20 billion yuan. With its advanced production systems and intelligent equipment, the Jiaxing base is becoming an important manufacturing, R&D, and functional headquarters base for ZF in the Asia-Pacific region. The official rollout of the AxTrax 2 e-drive axle represents a critical step in extending the partnership from traditional transmission领域 to the electric drive sector.

In his speech, Lu Zhenghua expressed sincere gratitude to the Jiaxing Municipal Party Committee, the Municipal Government, the Economic Development Zone, and relevant departments for their long-standing support of the BAIC Foton-ZF transmission joint venture factory, and paid high tribute to the project team and all employees who worked tirelessly to overcome challenges. He noted that the new product launch is only the first step of a long journey, and put forward three expectations for the future development of the joint venture:

First, continue technological leadership, fully leveraging ZF's global technological advantages and BAIC Foton's vehicle scenario strengths to accelerate the efficient transformation of e-drive axles from technology reserves to commercial delivery;

Second, deepen customer value, focusing on core scenarios such as trunk logistics and regional transportation to accelerate the value transformation from "offline delivery" to "customer profitability";

Third, promote localization and cost efficiency, leveraging the resilience and scale advantages of the domestic supply chain to accelerate component localization, making globally competitive e-drive axles available to customers at better value, and helping new energy commercial vehicles accelerate the transition from "policy-driven" to "market-driven."

03 Anchoring the "15th Five-Year Plan," Driving Green Transformation of Commercial Vehicles

Standing at the critical juncture of the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," the mass production of the AxTrax 2 e-drive axle represents another important achievement in BAIC Foton's advancement of the three major strategies: "comprehensive internationalization, comprehensive new energy adoption, and comprehensive intelligentization." Facing industry trends of deep integration of electrification and intelligentization, and the restructuring of the global landscape, BAIC Foton is building vertically integrated competitive advantages in core components including batteries, electric drives, and electronic controls.

The official production launch of the AxTrax 2 e-drive axle not only provides strong technical support for BAIC Foton's new energy commercial vehicles but also sets a benchmark for the localization of electric drive technology in China's commercial vehicle industry. Going forward, the BAIC Foton-ZF transmission joint venture factory will continue to drive cost revolution through technological innovation, explore efficiency space through lean management, and accelerate the new energy commercial vehicle industry's journey toward a market-driven new phase.