Hyundai Wia Wins Overseas Order Worth 1 Trillion Won with a Single Constant Velocity Joint

Hyundai Wia has significantly increased its overseas orders for core automotive parts. By enhancing quality based on mechanical engineering expertise, it has gained competitiveness from overseas automakers.

Hyundai Wia announced on the 24th that last year, it secured orders worth 1.045 trillion KRW for constant velocity (CV) joints from European and North American automakers. CV joints are key automotive components that transmit power generated by motors or engines to the vehicle's wheels. The company explained that the secret to this large-scale order was improving product performance and quality based on mechanical engineering technology.

An employee is inspecting a constant velocity joint at the Hyundai Wia Changwon plant.
[Photo by Hyundai Wia]

This component must transmit power from the motor or engine to the wheels with minimal loss. Additionally, mechanical engineering expertise plays a crucial role in minimizing vibration and noise generated during driving. The company has been steadily refining its technology since developing this part in 1988.

While developing high-efficiency, low-vibration CV joints specialized for electric vehicles, it also separately developed CV joints for ultra-large vehicles. A company representative explained, "By minimizing noise and vibration and making the parts lighter, we supply more than 90% of the total order volume to eco-friendly vehicles."

They also developed an Integrated Drive Axle (IDA), which advances the existing CV joint by combining it with adjacent systems. The IDA integrates the drive shaft, which transmits power to the wheels, and the wheel bearing that connects it to the wheels into a single product. This reduces component weight and increases rigidity, enhancing vehicle driving performance. This part is used in Hyundai Motor's Ioniq 5 and Kia's EV6.

Hyundai Wia Constant Velocity Joint. It is a key automotive component that transmits power from the motor or engine to the wheels.
[Photo by Hyundai Wia]

Having produced CV joints for over 30 years, the cumulative production volume exceeded 100 million units in 2017, the first among domestic parts manufacturers. Production has continued to steadily increase recently. Annual production was 11.44 million units in 2019 and rose to 13.12 million units last year. Overseas subsidiaries in China, India, and Mexico also produce about 5 million units annually.

A company representative said, "We were able to succeed in large-scale orders thanks to the mechanical technology know-how accumulated through long-term development and mass production of CV joints," adding, "We will create top-level mobility parts through continuous research and development (R&D)."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.