Transmissions

New needs, more speeds

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
In March, luxury maker Land Rover proudly told an audience at the Geneva auto show that it would soon bring to market the industry's first nine-speed transmission. One month later, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors announced that they would jointly develop 10-speeds. Can 12-speeds really be that far behind? And why not a 24-speed?... Read More »

 

Volkswagen recalls 91,000 cars in Japan on transmission problems

May 9, 2013 12:02 CET
Volkswagen said today that it is recalling around 91,000 cars in Japan, citing potential transmission problems that have already led to the recall of 384,181 vehicles in China.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

VW plans fuel-saving 10-speed tranny

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
Volkswagen's new 10-speed DSG transmission will be paired with V-6 and V-8 engines and will replace conventional torque converter automatics in some of the company's vehicles.... Read More »

 

Honda signals it may expand CVTs

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
Honda's plan to produce continuously variable transmissions at a new plant in Celaya, Mexico, hints that more Honda models sold here could be fitted with CVTs.... Read More »

 

Opel to cut CO2 by 27% with new powertrains

May 3, 2013 06:01 CET
Opel/Vauxhall says new powertrains will cut its average CO2 output 27 percent by 2020, helping the automaker comply with tougher EU emissions regulations. With 13 new engines, Opel will renew 80 percent of its engine portfolio between 2012 and 2016.... Read More »

 

Honda plans $470 million transmission plant in Mexico

2:11 pm U.S. ET | May 2, 2013
Honda plans to build a $470 million factory in Celaya, Mexico, to assemble continuously variable transmissions. The factory will operate alongside a plant under construction that's scheduled to build the next-generation Fit hatchback and a Fit-based crossover.... Read More »

 

VW plans fuel-saving 10-speed transmission

May 1, 2013 06:01 CET
Volkswagen is developing a 10-speed dual-clutch transmission to help reduce fuel consumption, CEO Martin Winterkorn said. The transmission is one of a number of drivetrain technologies that the automaker is focusing on for the mid- and long term, he said.... Read More »

 

Daimler said to plan transmission plant in Romania

April 23, 2013 09:21 CET
Daimler plans a large investment to build transmission components in Romania at the site of an existing joint venture, a German newspaper reported.... Read More »

 

VW recall highlights perils of too much success in China

April 19, 2013 06:34 CET
VW, Mercedes and BMW all posted record global sales last year, fueled by demand in China. This year, that growth is at risk after the Chinese government stepped up scrutiny of the automakers and media outlets questioned their quality, leading in one case to a recall of VW cars.... Read More »

 

Ford, GM partner on 9-, 10-speed gearboxes

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
Ford and GM are developing nine- and 10-speed transmissions jointly for use in cars, crossovers, pickups and SUVs. The rivals say partnering on the automatic front- and rear-wheel-drive gearboxes will get them to market faster and cheaper.... Read More »

 

Ford, GM partner on 9-, 10-speed gearboxes

April 15, 2013 06:01 CET
Ford and General Motors are developing nine- and 10-speed transmissions jointly for use in cars, crossovers, pickups and SUVs. The rivals say partnering on the automatic front- and rear-wheel-drive gearboxes will get them to market faster and cheaper.... Read More »

 

VW agrees to settle Audi CVT class-action case in U.S. court

1:02 pm U.S. ET | March 21, 2013
A federal judge has granted preliminary approval for the settlement of a class-action suit against Volkswagen Group of America over alleged defects with continuously variable transmissions in about 64,000 2002-06 Audi A4 and A6 models.... Read More »

 

NEW PRODUCT

Satellites control new Rolls' gearshifts

March 21, 2013 06:01 CET
The Rolls-Royce Wraith, a fastback that debuts in the final quarter of 2013, will use satellite data that detect changing road conditions to help shift its ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.... Read More »

 

CHINA

VW China recall may cost more than $600 million

March 20, 2013 10:00 CET
VW Group's recall in China to fix defective gearboxes may cost it more than $600 million. The recall affects 384,181 vehicles including the VW Golf Audi A3, China's quality inspector said. While VW declined to comment on the financial toll, research firm LMC Automotive estimated the replacements will cost between 3,000 yuan ($483) to 10,000 yuan per vehicle.... Read More »

 

Satellites control new Rolls' gearshifts

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 18, 2013
The Rolls-Royce Wraith, a fastback that debuts this fall, will use satellite data that detect changing road conditions to help shift its ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.... Read More »

 

Chrysler will build 9-speed in Tipton, Ind.

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 4, 2013
Chrysler Group, which is betting on high-tech transmissions as a way to improve fuel economy for traditional gasoline engines, will invest $374 million in several Indiana plants responsible for building eight- and nine-speed gearboxes.... Read More »

 

Chrysler to spend $374 million on transmission plants in Ind.

11:11 am U.S. ET | Feb. 28, 2013
Chrysler Group is investing $374 million into several Indiana transmissions plants responsible for building eight- and nine-speed transmissions, the company said. After months of preliminary steps, Chrysler will invest $162 million in an empty Tipton, Ind., plant to build nine-speed automatic transmissions for front-wheel-drive vehicles.... Read More »

 

BorgWarner, Manganello donate $2 million to UM for endowed chair in mechanical engineering

4:07 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 31, 2013
BorgWarner Chairman Tim Manganello and the company's charitable foundation are donating $2 million to the University of Michigan College of Engineering for an endowment to fund research and teaching.... Read More »

 

Chrysler CEO sees 200,000 9-speed transmissions for 3 new models

2:37 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 18, 2013
Chrysler Group LLC may have as many as 200,000 nine-speed transmissions available this year that will eventually go in three new models, its CEO said.... Read More »

 

Marchionne says Dart's slow start due to transmission availability

12:47 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 14, 2013
Sales of the 2013 Dodge Dart have been slow because the car didn't launch with the transmission it should have, Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said this morning. Speaking to journalists at the Detroit auto show, Marchionne said Dart sales were hampered because only manual transmissions were available at first, with a six-speed automatic sourced from Hyundai serving as a stopgap until a promised nine-speed automatic is available.... Read More »

 

GM agrees to sell French transmission plant

Dec. 21, 2012 22:34 CET
General Motors, trying to end losses in Europe, said it agreed to sell a French transmission plant to Punch Metals International.... Read More »

 

Chrysler wins tax break for possible Indiana transmission plant

10:44 am U.S. ET | Dec. 19, 2012
Chrysler is one step closer to a new transmission plant in Indiana after a local council approved a tax abatement late Tuesday. The Tipton County Council approved a 10-year tax abatement worth $2.5 million, according to the Kokomo Tribune, a local newspaper. Chrysler wants to invest $162 million in the plant, which would produce nine-speed front-wheel-drive automatic transmissions and create 850 jobs.... Read More »

 

NEW PRODUCT ANALYSIS

Toyota touts roomier 2013 RAV4 with improved transmission

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 18, 2012
Toyota was the first automaker to bring a compact crossover to the U.S. market. But since 1995, Toyota's dominance of the segment has eroded. It now resides in fourth place in the segment sales race. Toyota hopes its 2013 RAV4 redesign will erase that deficit and return the brand to the thick of the chase.... Read More »

 

Chrysler would invest $162 million in transmission plant, create 850 jobs

3:00 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 17, 2012
Chrysler Group wants to invest nearly $162 million in an Indiana plant finished in 2008 but never occupied because of a failed joint venture and Chrysler's bankruptcy. The plant would produce nine-speed front-wheel-drive automatic transmissions and create 850 jobs, according to documents submitted to Tipton County, Ind.... Read More »

 

Chrysler may revive plans to build transmissions at Ind. plant

9:58 am U.S. ET | Dec. 10, 2012
Chrysler Group is again pursuing a newly built but never-used factory in Tipton, Ind., where it once planned to build transmission components for its nearby factories. The company has requested tax incentives from state and local officials for the vacant factory, according to reports in the local newspaper, the Kokomo Tribune. Details of the abatement were not released.... Read More »