As a company rooted in internal combustion engines, Weichai Power Co., Ltd. has evolved into one of China's most formidable automotive and equipment manufacturing conglomerates. Its business spans power systems, commercial vehicles, agricultural equipment, smart logistics, and electric energy. In the first half of this year, the company reported operating revenue exceeding RMB 123.163 billion, a year-on-year increase of 8.85%, while net profit attributable to shareholders reached RMB 7.701 billion, up 36.46%. This growth was propelled by sustained efforts in upgrading traditional power, accelerating electric energy initiatives, ramping up new energy output, digital transformation, and deepening global expansion. How does Weichai stay relevant amid rapidly iterating technology? As a provider of high-end equipment, what fuels its development?

Relentless Focus: Perfecting the Product

Weichai initially carved out its survival space with products of impeccable quality. Within the company, one engine holds profound significance, symbolizing both heritage and reinvention. In 1989, the WD615 engine developed by Weichai was officially put into production, and it has now been over three decades. Since then, the "280,000 kilometers without major repair" record has become the WD615's defining hallmark, a compelling reason for customers to choose Weichai. Thanks to its exceptional quality, the WD615 diesel engine has achieved global sales exceeding 3.7 million units, powering trucks, buses, construction machinery, ships, and generators. Product management is the cornerstone of any enterprise; without superior products, everything else counts for nothing. It is this unwavering dedication to perfecting a single product line and the strategic commitment to focusing on the core business that have won Weichai customers' trust on the international stage. This steadfastness, embedded in strategic vision, R&D breakthroughs, quality control, and craftsmanship, is the primary engine of Weichai's progress.

Technology Driving Both Traditional and Emerging Businesses

Mastering core technology is the winning formula in global competition. Weichai has long focused on its main power business, advancing both the iterative upgrade of traditional power and the multi-faceted deployment of new energy technologies to build a solid industrial foundation. In the traditional power arena, Weichai is intensifying innovation to develop diesel engines and gas engines with longer life, lower energy consumption, and higher reliability. In 2024, it launched a diesel engine with a brake thermal efficiency of 53.09%, achieving international leadership. This efficiency gain translates into superior economics; with mass production of high-efficiency engines, it is estimated that millions of tons of fuel could be saved annually. In the new energy sector, guided by the philosophy of "selling one generation, developing another, and reserving a third," Weichai is advancing multiple technological pathways, including pure electric systems, hybrid systems, fuel cells, and alternative fuel internal combustion engines, creating a comprehensive and progressive new energy power matrix.

Leveraging its power technology expertise, in January of this year, Weichai officially upgraded electric energy into an independent business segment, creating a new growth trajectory. By establishing a full-spectrum electric energy business system covering both backup and primary power, Weichai is intensifying its focus on the iteration of core technologies such as large-bore diesel engines, gas engines, and solid oxide fuel cells. Notably, its self-developed M-series large-bore engines are not only widely used in oil fields, mines, and marine applications but are also precisely targeting core scenarios like data centers. Company data indicates that in the first half of this year, generator engine sales reached 65,000 units, up 31.3% year-on-year, while M-series engine sales, primarily used for power generation, hit 6,700 units, a 31.5% increase. Among these, sales of data center power generation products surpassed 1,400 units, a 137% surge year-on-year, exceeding the total for all of last year.

Talent is Weichai's Most Valuable "Power" Source

"Buying equipment is not as good as buying technology, and buying technology is not as good as buying talent." Weichai has consistently treated talent as capital rather than cost, sourcing expertise globally and enabling those who strive to succeed alongside the company. Since 2010, Weichai's new energy R&D team has been steadily accumulating technology in core fields such as batteries, motors, and electronic controls. When new energy heavy trucks gained market traction, the team's decade-long technical reserve was fully unleashed. The company's 600 kWh heavy truck bottom-mounted battery operates effectively at temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius, meeting high standards for vehicle quality. While the team adapts to technological trends and policy shifts, its core R&D direction has remained consistent, focusing not only on innovation but also on anticipating and addressing potential customer needs through a combination of different technological pathways to maximize user value.

With the rapid construction of AI data centers and surging electricity demand, SOFCs are becoming a favored high-power source due to their "plug-and-play" rapid deployment and grid connection. SOFCs are fuel-flexible, operating on hydrogen, carbon monoxide, coal gas, methane, and biomass gas, earning them a reputation as a "heavy lifter" that thrives on "coarse grains." This technology is emerging as Weichai's key to capturing the AI power market. Within Weichai Power, a dedicated group of engineers understands customers, applications, and vehicles intimately. They define the performance criteria for new products, identify the essential technologies required, and proactively explore potential future breakthroughs through feasibility-verified "pre-development." They are the driving force behind Weichai's continued progress.