American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. said today that it is forming another joint venture in China. 

The business is a 50-50 partnership with Hefei Automobile Axle Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Co. Ltd., of Hefei, China. It will be called Hefei AAM Automotive Driveline & Chassis System Ltd., and is expected to begin operations in the first quarter of 2009.  

The plant, about 250 miles west of Shanghai in Anhui province, will manufacture rear beam axles, front axles, power transfer units and other drive train components for vehicles for JAC Automotive, a Chinese manufacturer. 

The Hefei AAM joint venture is American Axle’s second manufacturing operation in China. 

American Axle, of Detroit, ranks No. 55 on the Automotive News list of the top 100 global automotive suppliers with estimated worldwide original-equipment parts sales of $3.25 billion in 2007