- by Brian Byrne
Dual-clutch transmission to grow 'auto' choice
14 April 2003: The development of BorgWarner's 'dual-clutch' transmissions could significantly boost the transfer to 'automatic' gearshifting in Europe, most particularly in cars with high performance diesel engines.
The system - premiered in the VW Golf R32 DSG and more recently in the Audi TT - uses two electronically operated clutches to provide smoother and quicker clutchless shifting than normal automated manual gearboxes.
And against efficiency losses experienced by diesel engines of up to 20 per cent with conventional automatic gearboxes, the use of the new BW system can gain 15 per cent back.
This is particularly important in Europe, where up to half of all cars now purchased are diesel-powered. But overall take-up of conventional automatic transmission choice in Europe is just 19 per cent of cars, against 90 per cent in the US and almost equivalent interest in key Pacific Rim markets.
The new transmission is most likely to be used in cars with relatively smaller engines, while traditional automatic planetary systems will continue to reign at the upper end of the scale. To show the potential impact, VW expects that a fifth of cars built on its next Golf platform will use the dual-clutch system, compared to the 10 per cent automatic penetration on the current platform.
Slow changes have been the key bugbear of automated manual transmissions so far.
©2003 irishcar.com