BAIC Foton and ZF Forge Another Milestone: First AxTrax 2 e-Axle Rolls Off the Production Line

On June 22, BAIC Foton and ZF celebrated another milestone in their strategic partnership — the first AxTrax 2 e-axle officially rolled off the production line at their joint venture factory in Jiaxing. This marks a critical step for BAIC Foton in gaining a decisive voice in the core new energy components sector for 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, Secretary of the Party Committee and General Manager of BAIC Foton; Cui Shipeng, Vice General Manager 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 guests from government, shareholders, partners, and the media gathered together to witness this milestone moment.

01 Aligning with Industry Transformation Trends, Strategic Plans Bear Fruit

The automotive industry is currently undergoing a transformation of unprecedented scale, with electrification and intelligentization sweeping across 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 for commercial vehicles reaching 30%. Meanwhile, geopolitical dynamics are reshaping the global energy supply chain landscape, making energy independence a strategic priority for nations and accelerating the transition of commercial vehicles from fuel-driven to electric-driven.

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-axle has officially rolled off the production line at the joint venture factory, turning this strategic blueprint into reality.

As ZF's integrated e-axle platform designed for the next generation of commercial vehicles, the AxTrax 2 can be applied to medium and heavy-duty vehicles. It replaces engines, transmissions, drive shafts, differentials, and conventional axles with a modular design, enabling commercial vehicle electrification. The product launched this time features a 930V silicon carbide inverter platform, delivering a continuous output power of 210 kW and a peak torque of 26,000 Nm. Equipped with a 3-speed transmission and electronic shift actuator, the compact design maximizes battery layout 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 Reaches New Heights

Since BAIC Foton and ZF established their joint venture company in Jiaxing in 2017, the cooperation between the two parties has continued to deepen. To date, the BAIC Foton-ZF transmission joint venture factory has achieved cumulative sales of 20 billion RMB. 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 launch of the AxTrax 2 e-axle represents a key step in extending the partnership from traditional transmission领域的 to the e-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-term support and care for the development of the BAIC Foton-ZF transmission joint venture factory, and paid high tribute to the project team and all employees who worked day and night to overcome challenges. He noted that the launch of the new product is only the first step of a long journey, and put forward three expectations for the future development of the joint venture:

First, continue to lead in technology, fully leveraging ZF's global technological advantages and BAIC Foton's vehicle scenario advantages to accelerate the efficient transformation of e-axle technology from R&D储备 to commercial delivery.

Second, deepen customer value, closely focusing on core scenarios such as trunk logistics and regional transportation, to accelerate the value transformation of products from "production line delivery" to "customer profitability."

Third, promote localization and cost reduction, leveraging the resilience and scale advantages of the domestic supply chain to accelerate component localization, enabling globally competitive e-axles to benefit customers at more optimal prices, and helping new energy commercial vehicles accelerate from "policy-driven" to "market-driven."

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

Standing at the critical juncture of the first year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," the mass production and launch of the AxTrax 2 e-axle represents another significant achievement in BAIC Foton's advancement of its three major strategies: "Comprehensive Internationalization, Comprehensive New Energy, and Comprehensive Intelligence." Facing the industry trends of deep integration of electrification and intelligentization, and the restructuring of the global landscape, BAIC Foton is leveraging key technologies to build vertically integrated synergies in core components including batteries, e-drives, and electronic controls.

The official production launch of the AxTrax 2 e-axle not only provides strong technical support for BAIC Foton's new energy commercial vehicles but also sets a benchmark for the localization of e-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 gains through lean management, and accelerate the transition of new energy commercial vehicles toward a market-driven new stage.