At a Glance

2008/11/21 Two Million Passenger Car Axle Drives Produced By ZF At Gotha Location

• Annual production of more than 500,000 units.
• Smooth running and weight reduction are quality features.

At ZF's location in Gotha, Germany, the two-millionth axle drive for passenger cars came off the line in mid-November. Since 2002, the Gotha location produces differential gears, final drives, and axle drives for passenger cars in volume production. They are used in vehicles, where the engine's power is transferred from the front engine to the rear-axle wheels or to all four wheels. Among other, ZF axle drives are currently installed in models by Audi, VW, and BMW. The Vector Drive rear axle drive is among the latest products. It distributes the drive torque variably and asymmetrically to the left and right wheels of the rear axle. This creates new opportunities in driving dynamics as well as more safety reserves.

Passenger cars with all-wheel drives are still very popular, and customer call-offs for passenger car axle drives at the ZF assembly plant in Gotha have been correspondingly high in the past few years. The plant was established in 2000 under the management of the ZF division Off-Road Driveline Technology and Axle Systems; volume production of axle drives started in 2002. Initial annual production increased rapidly from 21,500 units to a current 524,000 units per year.

High Product Quality

Product quality also contributes significantly to the high demand: Axle drives from ZF are characterized by their very smooth running. This is ensured by the bevel gear sets, which are manufactured in a special procedure and supplied by the ZF location Thyrnau near Passau and then assembled in Gotha. This key technology also allows for another benefit: ZF axle drives are fitted in aluminum housings and thus weigh less.

Indivual Torque Distribution

The latest product assembled in Gotha is the Vector Drive rear axle drive which considerably increases driving dynamics and safety reserves of all-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive vehicles. The system distributes the drive torque individually to the rear axle wheels and thus generates a yaw moment (veering-in) around the vertical axis of the vehicle, which both improves agility and stabilizes the vehicle when it oversteers or understeers, thereby increasing safety reserves. Unlike other solutions, Vector Drive also works in overrun mode. It is currently offered as standard in the BMW X6.

Among others, the following car models are equiped with ZF axle drives:

• Alfa 149, 159, Brera, Spider
• Audi A4, A5, A6, Q7 und Q5
• Bentley Continental
• BMW X6
• Holden Commodore, Statesman
• Mercedes-Benz R-Klasse, M-Klasse, GL
• Porsche Cayenne
• VW Phaeton, Touareg

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