ZF expands hybrid business in China
The automotive supplier ZF is stepping up its involvement in China with the construction of further plants and the expansion of development capacities. This includes the start of production of the 8-speed automatic transmission 8HP at the ZF factory in Shanghai, including a variant for plug-in hybrid drives.
ZF also plans to produce electric drives in China in the near future. According to a press release by the Friedrichshafen-based company, a corresponding production facility is currently being set up. In the future, ZF will also serve the commercial vehicle market more locally from China: A joint venture with commercial vehicle manufacturer Foton will start production of the TraXon automatic and hybrid commercial vehicle transmission in just a few weeks. For this purpose, a joint production plant is being built south of Shanghai. Among other things, Foton made a name for itself in 2015 when the company took over Borgward, which has since been brought back to life. Since 2010, the Chinese company has also maintained a joint venture with Daimler.
With its increased focus on China, ZF wants to address both Chinese and international automobile manufacturers with a presence in China. “Our strategy for the Chinese automotive market is called ‘Local for local’,” says ZF Board Member Dr Holger Klein, responsible for the Asia-Pacific region, among other things. “Almost all of our customers will expand their business in China in the coming years. We will support them in this by offering our entire portfolio locally – from development services to local just-in-sequence delivery.” ZF’s localization level will be increased to 100 per cent in the coming years. Already today, the Friedrichshafen-based company has 32 production sites in the country.
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