ZF Friedrichshafen has announced the expansion of its production and development capacities in China. The supplier plans to adapt its products to suit local needs and means of production.
In the third quarter of 2019, ZF will start series production of the 8HP 8-speed automatic transmission in Shanghai.
ZF
Car parts supplier ZF intends to further expand the number of its plants in China so that in future it can develop and manufacture its entire product portfolio there in line with local requirements. "Our strategy for the Chinese automotive market is called 'local for local'," explains ZF Board Member Dr. Holger Klein, responsible for the Asia-Pacific region with China as its core market. The Group has had its own production sites there since 1994 - currently there are 32.
The supplier will begin the Chinese series production of the 8HP 8-speed automatic transmission at the Shanghai transmission plant in Autumn 2019. A variant for plug-in hybrid drives can also be produced there. ZF plans to establish a production facility in China for the production of purely electric drives. ZF is building a new steering plant in Zhanjiagang for passenger car electric power steering systems - the largest of ZF's 32 plants in China, to date. In addition, production of the TraXon automatic and hybrid commercial vehicle transmission, which resulted out of a joint venture with commercial vehicle manufacturer Foton, will begin in just a few weeks in a joint production plant south of Shanghai.