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◇Mando suspension reached 6 million orders per year
Succeeded in winning an order for suspension products of 50 million units from Volkswagen Group on the 22nd. Mando, as a strategic partner of Volkswagen, will produce and supply suspension products in Europe from next June to 2033.
Mando’s suspension products are supplied to European flagship models based on the Volkswagen Next-Generation Electric Vehicle Platform (MEB), as well as internal combustion engine models such as the Volkswagen brand and the Audi brand. There are 10 types of passenger cars, including Golf, Tiguan, and Passat, and commercial vehicles are caddy. In general, four suspension parts are installed per vehicle, so the annual order amount reaches 6 million (Peak).
Suspension is a component that connects the wheel and the vehicle body. Four suspension components support the vehicle body load and absorb road shocks. It also plays a role in determining ride comfort and driving safety.
Accordingly, the industry observes that the importance of suspension in electric vehicles becomes even higher. Because there is no engine noise, the suspension plays an important role in eliminating other noise in a quiet electric vehicle. Therefore, as the electric vehicle market grows, the demand for suspensions equipped with technology can increase.
Sung-Hyun Cho, general manager of Mando said, “This Volkswagen electric vehicle platform suspension order will be a turning point for Mando’s European business leap forward. As Mando became a strategic partner of the Volkswagen Group, we will seek cooperation with other chassis products.
Mando is also planning to cooperate with Volkswagen of China on the back of a European Volkswagen order. Mando Suspension started with mass production in Beijing, China (2002), and now has a production base in Ningbo. Last year (2020), Mando China supplied 14 million units of suspension and 3.5 million units of car suspension to local automakers.
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◇ Hanon Systems Gyeongju Plant, targets 300,000 electric vehicles
An automotive thermal energy management solution company also won an order for a thermal management system for EV-specific platforms such as Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP and Volkswagen’s MEB. Hanon Systems’ thermal management system will be installed in not only Hyundai Ioniq 5, 6, and 7 but also premium brand Genesis electric vehicle models.
Hanon Systems will establish a new electric vehicle parts factory in Gyeongju to respond to the rapidly increasing demand for eco-friendly vehicles. The total site of the Gyeongju plant is 33,000m2 (approximately 10,000 pyeong) and is about to be completed in the first half of the year. Starting in the third quarter of this year, the company aims to produce 300,000 electric vehicles by 2024, starting mass production of the heat pump module and cooling water valve assembly, which are key parts of electric vehicles.
Hanon Systems is investing in a production plant exclusively for electric vehicles like this because the proportion of electric vehicle-related businesses is rapidly increasing. Among Hanon Systems’ new orders, the proportion of eco-friendly cars was 44% in 2017, but it is steadily increasing every year to 63% in 2018, 71% in 2019, and 76% in 2020.
In 2013, the company built a plant exclusively for electrification parts in Chungju, Chungcheongbuk-do, and secured all the core component technologies for hybrid, electric and hydrogen electric vehicles. In 2019, the construction of an electric vehicle parts manufacturing plant was started in Ulsan, and it is set to be fully operational in the first half of this year.
Last year, the construction of a core electric vehicle parts plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, was started, and it is aiming to operate in the second half of this year. The Pyeongtaek plant is planning to produce PE modules incorporating key parts for electric vehicles (motors, inverters, reducers, etc.). Hyundai Mobis already supplies battery systems, PE modules (integrated parts for motors, inverters, and reducers), and two-way chargers to Hyundai Motor’s dedicated platform.
Hyundai Mobis’ electrification business is steadily cruising. Hyundai Mobis’ sales in the electrification division surpassed KRW 1 trillion for the first time in 2017, followed by KRW 1.8 trillion in 2018 and KRW 2.8 trillion in 2019, and continues to grow rapidly, exceeding KRW 4 trillion last year.