Autoblog

Dual-clutch transmissions are emerging as the latest trend in automotive gearboxes, and the Italians aren't about to miss out on the newest fashion. Fiat announced earlier today a new family of six-speed transmissions, called C635, that will premiere as a manual in June 2009, followed by a dual-clutch version in September 2009 before the automated manual comes out in 2010.

The C635s will be offered on a range of Fiat products including Lancias and Alfa Romeos, and will be capable of handling 35kgm of torque. They'll be built by Fiat Powertrain Technologies at its Verrone plant 75km outside of Turin, handled by a workforce that will more than double to 1100 staff. Called the Dual Dry Clutch (DDC) transmission, Fiat's will follow Volkswagen's seven-speed second-generation DSG (which also switches from wet clutches to lighter-weight dry ones when it debuts on the Golf this month), Volvo's Powershift transmission (due next month) and the BMW M3's new M-DCT (available from March).

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Big product changes are apparently afoot at Ford, with a series of comprehensive goals that will get more people in showrooms while simultaneously trimming costs within the automaker. FoMoCo's group veep of global product development, Derrick Kuzak, spoke at the Automotive News World Congress recently and hit on a number of points that will shape Ford's future.

To begin with, product development, styling changes and technical improvements will be on a three-year cycle, keeping it inline with many of the top tier automakers with which Ford aims to better compete. Recognizing that design is at the forefront of most consumers' minds, Kuzak said that many of the enhancements to Ford's lineup will be design-driven, noting that, "You don't design for the masses; each vehicle has a target audience."

Ford CEO Alan Mulally has talked about the reduction and proliferation of global platforms at length and Kuzak reiterated that utilizing both global architectures and engines is a cornerstone to Ford's resurgence. Kuzak says that by 2012 around 70-percent of Ford vehicles offered worldwide will be built on eight platforms.

Kuzak went on to reconfirm that the Verve is on its way to North America, but don't expect to see it until 2010 at the earliest. He also said that Ford's EcoBoost engine system will be in 43 vehicles in North America in the next four years, making up 500,000 units in NA and almost 750,000 units worldwide. Finally, he also noted that mating the EcoBoost mills with an "electronically shifted manual gearbox" could increase fuel economy by 20-percent and pay for itself in about two-and-a-half years. If that means more dual-clutch gearboxes like the one about to debut on Volvos, then more good things are underway.

[Source: Autoweek]

Click on the image to view in high-resolution

In advance of its public unveiling at the Geneva show in March, and after releasing a teaser photo, Volkswagen's Czech subsidiary Skoda has additional photos and details on its upcoming new flagship.

The aptly-named Superb is based on the Volkswagen Passat platform, though stretched out to offer more space. Its range of features includes direction-changing headlights, a new electronic climate control system, and automatic parking assist. Compared with the model it replaces, the new Superb grows another 35mm longer and 18mm wider, but hunkers down 8mm lower and shrinks in wheelbase by 42mm, actually increasing the overhangs contrary to industry trends.

The Superb also wears its own unique bodywork and badging, but like all top-of-the-line Czech models, the best view is around back where the Skoda features a useful hatchback setup. Motivation comes from a range of six engine options – three gasoline and three diesels – topping out with a 260-hp 3.2-liter V6. A five- or six-speed manual will come standard depending on which engine is chosen, but the Superb will also have an available DSG twin-clutch transmission option.

Although the new Superb doesn't come across as the most exciting thing goin' down in Switzerland this coming March, it appears Skoda put together a surprisingly good package.

[Source: Skoda]

Volkswagen's dual-clutch gearbox (DSG) has proven that a balance can be struck between driver involvement and running the daily slog without a cramped left leg, with a bump in fuel economy to boot. As reported earlier this year, VW has plans to introduce another cog onto its six-speed DSG unit, while at the same time dropping the wet clutch arrangement for a dry-clutch setup. Now it's official: the new seven-speed DSG not only boasts another gear and dry clutches, but it's the first time the DSG transmission is able to be mounted for a front-traverse setup.

The seven-speed 'box will originally be available on the Golf and Golf Plus models abroad, equipped with the 1.4-liter TSI engine and 1.9-liter TDI mill, and the 1,750 euro premium over the base model also includes a hill-start assist system. The next generation, Borg-Warner-developed DSG has the capacity to channel 184 lb.-ft. of torque to the wheels, which should suit both models well, but it will need some beefing up before it becomes standard on more performance-oriented models.

BorgWarner's dual-clutch DSG (direct-shift gearbox) transmission systems have been showing up in Volkswagen and Audi vehicles since 2003. The system utilizes two clutches to select gears, allowing for smooth, uninterrupted power delivery. The clutches are electro-hydraulically actuated, allowing for virtually instant gear changes and control logic that pre-selects the next required gear. While BorgWarner's original DSG design has allowed for greater fuel-efficiency over traditional automatic transmissions, it has had room for improvement. The original design is a wet-clutch system, meaning the clutches operate in a bath of oil to keep temperatures down and eliminate wear. The oiling system requires large pumps to keep up the constant flow through the system and it also creates hydraulic drag that affects efficiency.

However, with recent announcements coming out of the BorgWarner camp, it is apparent they are still on the leading edge of dual-clutch transmission development. The company is slated to provide systems for the upcoming Nissan GT-R and BMW M3. These are high power output applications that would be hindered by BorgWarner's original DSG design without improvements. For these next generation systems the wet-clutch system has been changed to a moist-clutch system requiring less lubrication and therefore a smaller oil pump. This also reduces hydraulic drag on the system, thus reducing drivetrain losses. The clutch materials have also been improved for heat transfer and wear properties. The use of materials that do not degrade with friction or waste mechanical energy through heat generation allow the clutch design to live in these more stressful environments and to do so more efficiently.

[Source: BorgWarner via CNNMoney.com]

The dual-clutch gearbox was originally conceived back in the 1930s by half-track inventor Adolphe Kégresse, but its first practical application didn't appear until nearly six decades later in the back end of some Porsche 956 and 962 race cars and some Audi rally cars. For whatever reason, Porsche dropped the idea in favor manually shifted automatic TipTronic gearboxes for its production cars.

Volkswagen finally brought the dual clutch system to the masses a few years ago with its DSG units. It looks like Porsche will soon finally add the setup to its road cars in the next few years with the brand name it used on the race cars – PDK for Porsche Doppel Kupplungen or Porsche Double Clutches. The TipTronic paddle shifters will be retained so that the driver can execute shifts without releasing the steering wheel. No word yet on timing or application, but as soon as we know you will.

[Source: MotorAuthority]

click above image to view more pics of the 2008 BMW M3

BMW dealers in Europe have received the officially official specs of the new M3 only to discover that the car with be offered with a new seven-speed double-clutch gearbox, much like the DSG trannies used by VW/Audi. Dubbed the M DCT (M Dual Clutch Transmission), the cog swapper is expected to speed up shifts and shave a couple of tenths off the car's 0-60 time, which should put it squarely in the 4.5-second range, if not quicker. The system, developed and produced by Getrag, will likely be better received than BMW's maligned SMG trannies and eventually replace those systems in the 3-Series and 5-Series lineups. The M DCT will be controlled with the requisite paddle shifters on the steering wheel and an odd little joystick control on the center console like the one in the M5 and M6.

[Source: Autocar]

It looks like the dual-clutch preselector transmission is emerging as the leader in automated manuals. Volkswagen's DSG has been around a while and offers fewer compromises than less purpose-built manuals. Ford's champing at the bit to get their own trick DSG-like transmission into production, and it looks like we'll see such a unit drop soon with the PowerShift moniker. Gearbox maker Getrag has several different variations on the theme, and word is they'll start off in PAG brand like Volvo first and then trickle down to other Fords as a premium option. Volvo is a logical entry point, as the marque's S40 T5 can be mentioned in the same breath as the A3 without the entire room snickering.

The core engineering seems to be essentially the same, with the packaging, max ratio spread and durability of the innards varying among the different configurations. Applications cover the various vehicle architectures of FR, FF, and MR, plus AWD, though we're not sure if the center differential is a seperate unit or integral to the trans. They're mostly six-speeds, although there is a seven-speed version with triple cone synchronizers and a max torque capacity of 750Nm. The exciting thing is that these transmissions reportedly have Job 1 dates in 2007, so we should see the debut soon in something. Europe will likely get them first in the diesel S40/V50s. There's a version rumored to be destined for the Fiesta, which is destined here, so before long, we may all be revelling in the perfectly executed blip-blip downshift as we clip the apex and get back on the power to exit fast while behind the wheel of a Ford vehicle.

[Source: GM Inside News]

This ad takes us back to our childhood, when transmissions came in manual and automatic. That was it. Today's kids have sequentials, continuously variable ratios, dual clutches, paddle shifters, manually-shifted automatics, automatic-shifting manuals and a gazillion other variations to confuse them when pretending to drive.

We could try to explain the technology behind Volkswagen's DSG transmission until we're blue in the face, or you could simply follow the jump to watch a couple of kids do it for us. It's so simple, it's child's play.

Disclaimer: No actual children were harmed by Autoblog or by Volkswagen in the presentation of this video.

[Source: German Car Scene via Carscoop]

It hasn't been very long since we last brought you some spy shots of the freshened 911, but when another pic popped up, we felt we had to share. After all, this is our favorite rear-engined sports car. Returning even closer to its roots, the two-beam round headlamps and larger air inlets look very 993 Turbo. The cleaner look should be an improvement that the loyalists will appreciate and the masses will completely miss.

Actually, the air scoops match the look of the restyled Cayenne, and the integrated turn indicators somewhat mimic the current Turbo 997, albeit integrated rather than "free floating" like on the Turbo. The new lower lip is more noticeable here too. It creates a continuous line around the nose that continues along the rockers and into the tail, where we'll see new LED tail lamps.

Expect similar mechanical changes to those being done on the Cayenne, and an interior upgrade that should be evolutionary like those on the outside. New direct-injection and a DSG option should keep the new 911 at the top of the heap.

[Source: World Car Fans]