As an upgraded version of conventional hub bearings, the low-torque hub bearing unit features an optimized structural design that significantly reduces frictional resistance during bearing rotation while maintaining high load-carrying capacity and long service life. It also effectively lowers vehicle energy consumption, making it a “hot” component for new-energy vehicles. Due to the high technological barriers, premium automotive brands—represented by Company S—have long relied on imported products from overseas. However, Wanxiang Jinggong has proven its capabilities: after securing a designated supplier contract with Company S, it successfully achieved domestic substitution in just 15 months, earning widespread acclaim from customers. Today, the low-torque hub bearing unit project has entered mass production, fostering the development of a local supply chain and driving growth in upstream and downstream industries, thereby supporting the nation’s “dual-circulation” strategy and establishing this project as another flagship initiative for Wanxiang Jinggong.

Fight to the Death—Show the Sword: China’s Domestic Breakthrough

“We have high expectations for your company’s professionalism, sense of responsibility, and execution capabilities, and we adopt a zero-tolerance stance toward any behavior that could potentially delay the project.” This email, sent shortly after taking on S Company’s development task for low-torque hub bearing units, left everyone acutely aware of the immense responsibility at hand. The user’s serious declaration undoubtedly raised the bar for the project right from the start. This “life-or-death commitment” officially kicked off Wanxiang Jinggong’s tough battle—the development of low-torque bearings for both front and rear wheels under Project A.

“Before this, Company S had never entrusted low-torque hub bearing units to domestic suppliers. We’ll have to go all out—give it our 120 percent—to convince them of Wanxiang’s capabilities,” said Lai Linjun, the project leader, encouraging the team during the project meeting. As this was the first time Company S had chosen a domestically produced partner, they were extremely cautious and set an ultimate condition: the success or failure of the project would hinge on a single road test. They’d provide only one chance for each wheel to be installed and tested on the road—and if the performance didn’t meet the standards, they’d immediately switch to their backup international supplier. To prepare for this high-stakes battle, where success was the only option, Wanxiang Precision Engineering assembled a dedicated task force by drawing engineers with experience in high-end projects from various departments. They also established a daily coordination mechanism to ensure everything was meticulously prepared for a single, flawless pass.

Break through bottlenecks and unlock ultimate performance.

Speaking of the biggest challenge in the project, Guo Quan, Deputy Manager of the Product Innovation Department, said with a smile, “Now that we’ve made it work, looking back, it almost seems like nothing was difficult at all.” This confidence isn’t just the calmness that comes with time; it’s also rooted in the technical staff’s unwavering belief in Wanxiang Jinggong’s R&D capabilities.

Technical challenges have never been an obstacle—when everyone pools their wisdom and ideas, we can always find a solution. For example, Company S identified a key pain point: achieving both the highest possible torque performance and the lowest possible cost for products of the same size. This means simultaneously delivering high sealing performance, low friction torque, and keeping costs under control—a classic “both-and” challenge. Drawing on their technical expertise, the project team made breakthroughs in the manufacturing process through hundreds of parameter comparisons and benchmarking exercises. To enhance accuracy, they combined simulation modeling with real-world measurement data and successfully passed the design review on the first attempt. Benchmarking results showed that Wanxiang Jinggong’s product had 10% lower torque than its competitors, successfully pushing product performance to the absolute limit.

United in purpose, showcasing Wanxiang’s speed.

“United as one, we truly can create miracles.” Although highly technically challenging, the development of the low-torque bearings for both the front and rear wheels of Project A has been the shortest project yet since Wanxiang Jinggong and Company S began their collaboration. The development cycle was shortened by 40%, taking just 15 months—from final design approval to mass production. This remarkable speed from Wanxiang has earned continuous praise from its customers.

Since even a single punctuation mark cannot be allowed to slip up, the project team must deeply engrave the word “rigor” into their very bones. “We not only need to be fast—we also need to be excellent.” Behind Wanxiang’s remarkable speed lies the relentless pursuit of perfection, with everyone pulling together as one. During the project’s advancement, multiple departments—including procurement, intelligent manufacturing engineering, quality assurance, operations, and production—were involved. Specifically, technical development and verification took place at Wanxiang Precision, while production and manufacturing were handled by Jinggong Jiangsu. Such cross-departmental and cross-regional collaboration requires absolute alignment on objectives to ensure zero errors at every stage. They’ve broken down the schedule into the smallest possible units, ensuring that information is always synchronized, no matter when or where. Everyone is working toward the same goal, and no link in the chain can afford to falter. For instance, during critical milestones like the OTS review, colleagues at Jinggong Jiangsu once worked overtime late into the night for two consecutive weeks, going all out to guarantee timely project delivery. In the end, thanks to the united efforts of everyone involved, the product successfully passed the road tests on the first try.

With the first batch of low-torque hub bearing units rolling off the assembly line, the project has successfully achieved mass production. This remarkable feat not only overcame the technical challenges associated with low torque but also showcased the spirit of Wanxiang employees—boldly taking on tough battles and consistently achieving victory. Through its strong capabilities, Wanxiang Precision has demonstrated that Chinese enterprises, in the high-end sector, can not only “make it” but also “make it even better.” Looking ahead, Wanxiang Precision will continue to iterate relentlessly around lightweighting, intelligentization, and carbon reduction, further solidifying its industry-leading position in the hub unit sector. The courageous Wanxiang team, ever ready to tackle tough challenges, will keep pushing forward toward the industry’s cutting-edge frontiers, fully embodying the spirit of a new-era striver.