ZF, one of the world’s foremost producers of automotive gearboxes, has announced the world’s first 9-speed automatic transmission. The ‘box is apparently well-suited to front-wheel-drive (FWD) cars with transversely mounted engines. Additionally it will be able to handle all-wheel-drive (AWD) and hybrid powertrains. Volkswagen Group will be delighted as it specialises in these types of layouts.
The new 9-speed transmission – codenamed 9HP – is said to be capable of easily mounting between 280Nm and 480Nm of torque. Its German maker claims it will achieve a 16% improvement on fuel consumption over the existing ZF 6-speed automatic used by such companies as Jaguar, Volkswagen, Volvo and BMW. For example, at a speed of 120km/h the 9th gear is operating at 1900rpm, compared to 2600rpm for the 6-speeder. High revs of course hurt fuel consumption.
While the 9HP will undoubtedly be smooth due to the high number of gears, automakers can customise it such that gears can be changed “manually” via the gearlever or paddles. They can also make it such that these shifts are as sporty as they want them to be, for customers who like to feel their cars changing gears.
1 comment:
but why?
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