Volkswagen Working On 10-Speed Automatic Gearbox

Updated: Monday, April 29, 2013, 17:51 [IST]

If Land Rover's 9 speed transmission left you intrigued then you'll be amused to know that Volkswagen has confirmed it is working on a 10 speed dual clutch automatic transmission. In addition, the VW Group is also developing a diesel engine that is capable of generating 134 HP from every 1000cc. The announcements were made during the 34th International Vienna Motor Symposium by Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG. The objective is to bring down emission and improve fuel efficiency.

In his speech, Dr. Winterkorn also revealed the company's design to develop engines with different drive system technologies such as hybrid, electric and even natural gas engines. The group's objective is to bring down emission levels of its entire European fleet to 95g of CO2/km by 2020.

Speaking about the potential of natural gas driven engines, he said it is one of the most economical and among the cleaner engines in existence today. He brought up the example of the new eco-up!, which at 79g of CO2/km is the world's most economical natural gas car. Expect a steady output of VW cars with natural gas engines in the coming years, starting with the Golf TGI BlueMotion and the Audi A3 g-tron.

Existing hybrid vehicles are medium term fill ins and will remain so until pure electric vehicles take over completely. "Over the coming years we will electrify all vehicle classes in this way and help electrically powered motoring to make the breakthrough," added Winterkorn.

Article Published On: Monday, April 29, 2013, 16:45 [IST]

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