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 celebrated another milestone in their strategic cooperation — the first AxTrax 2 e-drive axle rolled off the production line at their joint venture factory in Jiaxing. This marks a pivotal moment for BAIC Foton, securing a critical voice in the commercial vehicle new energy core component sector and achieving a key transition from strategic layout to 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 President of BAIC Foton and Chairman of ZF Foton; Andreas Moser, Member of the ZF Board of Management and Head of the Commercial Vehicle Solutions and Industrial Technology Divisions; along with hundreds of distinguished guests from government, shareholders, partners, and the media, gathered to witness this milestone moment.

01 Aligning with Industry Transformation Trends, Strategic Layout Yields 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, making energy self-sufficiency a strategic priority for nations worldwide, 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 was officially rolled off the production line at the joint venture factory, marking the transformation of this strategic layout from blueprint to 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. Its modular design replaces engines, transmissions, driveshafts, differentials, and conventional axles to achieve commercial vehicle electrification. The product rolled off the line features a 930V silicon carbide inverter with a continuous output power of 210 kW and a peak torque of 26,000 N·m. Equipped with a 3-speed gearbox and electronic shift actuator, its 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 the commercial vehicle electrification transition.

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, the cooperation between the two parties has continued to deepen. To date, the BAIC Foton and 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 ZF's important manufacturing, R&D, and functional headquarters base in the Asia-Pacific region. The official rollout of the AxTrax 2 e-drive axle represents a critical step in the cooperation extending from traditional transmission field to the electric drive domain.

In his speech, Lu Zhenghua expressed sincere gratitude to the Jiaxing Municipal Party Committee, Municipal Government, Economic Development Zone, and relevant departments for their long-term care and support for the development of the BAIC Foton and ZF transmission joint venture factory. He also extended high respect to the project team and all employees who worked tirelessly day and night to overcome challenges. He noted that the new product rollout 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 leverage ZF's global technological advantages and BAIC Foton's vehicle scenario advantages to accelerate the efficient transformation of the e-drive axle from technology reserves to commercial delivery.

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

Third, promote localization and cost reduction — leverage the resilience and scale advantages of the domestic industrial chain to accelerate the localization of components, allowing globally quality e-drive axles to benefit customers with better cost performance, and helping new energy commercial vehicles accelerate from "policy-driven" to "market-driven."

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

Standing at the critical juncture of the first year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," the mass production rollout of the AxTrax 2 e-drive axle represents another important achievement in BAIC Foton's advancement of its three major strategies: "Full Internationalization, Full New Energy Adoption, and Full Intelligent Transformation." Facing the industry trends of deep integration of electrification and intelligentization, and the restructuring of the global landscape, BAIC Foton is leveraging key technologies as a lever to build vertically integrated synergies in core components such as batteries, electric drives, and electronic controls.

The official production launch of the AxTrax 2 e-drive axle not only provides strong technological 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. In the future, the BAIC Foton and 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 transition to a market-driven phase.