Chrysler, Getrag Shift Into Drive for New Fuel-Saving Tranny
April 22, 2008

By Bill Visnic

Getrag Corporate Group and Chrysler LLC have signed the “definitive agreements” for the development, manufacturing and supply of Getrag’s high-tech Powershift automated-manual transmission earmarked for future Chrysler vehicles, Getrag announced earlier this month.

Getrag’s Powershift transmission incorporates the dual-clutch electrohydraulic components designed and developed by BorgWarner Automotive Inc. for its ground-breaking DuoTronic technology, first deployed in production vehicles by the Volkswagen Group, marketed as the Direct Shift Gearbox.

The Powershift is expected to be an efficiency-enhancing replacement for Chrysler’s dated 4-speed automatic transmissions, as well as the recently adopted continuously variable transmissions with which Bob Lee, Chrysler’s vice president of the Powertrain Product Team, told AutoObserver last year the company is “not that comfortable.”

But in light of fluid business conditions at the now privately-owned Chrysler, large capital-investment obligations such as that for the new Powershift transmission – announced prior to the Cerberus Group’s ownership of Chrysler – have been viewed with some skepticism. But Getrag’s notice of signed agreements – if that terminology relates to binding contracts – would seem to allay questions of Chrysler’s commitment to the venture.

The Powershift technology employs an electrohydraulic actuator and other special components to allow a manual transmission to be shifted without a clutch pedal, and also to be used essentially as a fully automatic transmission. The dual-clutch design assures a virtually uninterrupted flow of torque, enhancing performance and also enabling the transmission to more readily replicate the comfort and shifting characteristics of a conventional automatic.

The primary advantage is a marked increase in fuel economy compared with a conventional automatic transmission, thanks largely to the lack of an standard automatic’s efficiency-robbing torque converter.

Getrag and Chrysler are investing some $455 million to build a new plant in Tipton, IN, to manufacture the Powershift transmission. The plant is expected to begin production in late 2009, with a capacity of approximately 700,000 units.

The Powershift transmission is compatible with 4-cylinder engines, as well as Chrysler’s coming all-new Phoenix family of V6s, and presumably will be used for front- or all-wheel-drive vehicles, including Chrysler minivans.

Photo by Getrag
Getrag Powershift dual-clutch transmission combines the matchless efficiency of a manual transmission with the driving ease of an automatic.

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