New contracts for Graziano

Graziano Trasmissioni Group is to add Lamborghini and Aston Martin to a customer base that already includes Ferrari and Maserati.

The high-performance transmission maker designed, engineered and supplies complete six-speed gearboxes for the Lamborghini Gallardo, which went into production on May 9. The automaker plans to make 600 Gallardos this year, rising to 1,600 in 2005.

Graziano will supply new six-speed manuals and rear differentials for the Aston Martin AM803, the DB7 replacement, later this year. A second contract will see Graziano supplying units for the AM305, the small Aston Martin previewed as the AMV8 concept car.

The Maserati M139 project, the Quattroporte four-door sedan replacement that will debut at the Frankfurt auto show in September, will also use Graziano transmissions.

The firm already supplies complete gearboxes for the Maserati Spider and Coupe, and for the Ferrari 360, Maranello and Enzo.

In cooperation with Prodrive in the UK, it is engineering and developing drivelines for the four-wheel-drive variants of the Alfa Romeo 147 and 156 that will debut next spring.

Separately, Graziano is working with Prodrive and Borg Warner to become the leading system supplier of high-performance dual-clutch transmissions.

The dual-clutch system is regarded as the most likely technology for future high-performance automatics. It permits smooth gear changes, while saving fuel and weight in comparison with traditional automatics and torque converters.

Graziano, which is based in Rivoli, Turin, is part of the Sauer Group of Switzerland. Graziano beat its 2002 revenue target of €370 million, growing 45 percent to €377 million. Despite pressure on prices, its 2002 operating profit remained high at 9.6 percent of revenues.