VW trusts DSG transmission to boost market share

It's Sunday at the Beijing Golden Port Motor Park and 20 Scirocco Racers, taking part in the CTCC (China Touring Car Championship), are hurtling around the track. Those in the know nod wisely as the sports coupes speed by. "DSG," they say cryptically.

DSG (or Dual-clutch Shift Gear as it is more formally known) is Volkswagen's (VW) innovative take on automatic transmission technology. Its core component is the "Dual-clutch", designed to facilitate lightning fast gearshifts.

With an average shift speed of just 0.3 seconds, DSG is said to be both faster than manual transmissions and to boost overall engine performance - a clear reason for it to be fitted in the Scirocco Racers. Based on its success, it has also been trialled in a number of other VM models -including the Eos, the Passat CC and the Magotan

As well as its performance-enhancing capabilities, it is hoped that DSG technology will provide cars that allow for an acceptable compromise between long-term advocates of the convenience of manual transmissions and those that now favor the ease and fuel economy of its automatic counterpart. A DSG-equipped VW Magotan, argue some motoring pundits, could satisfy the demands of both parties.

To allay fears that DSG's faster performance comes at the expense of fuel economy, its manufacturers maintain that the highly-efficient system actually reduces, rather than increases, fuel consumption when compared to a manual transmission.

Its intelligent control system makes each gearshift extremely smooth, offering a comfortable, dynamic and more enjoyable experience for both drivers and passengers, but without a fuel heavy downside.

A VW Magotan with DSG, for example, accelerates from 0-100km/h 1.1 second faster than its non-DSG enabled counterpart. Yet, at a constant speed of 90km/h, the DSG Magotan uses up 1.4L of fuel less than its low-tech cousin.

Overall, DSG is an automatic transmission that has proved faster and more fuel efficient than manual transmission, and one that has the potential to counter much of the understandable prejudice against conventional automatic transmissions.

From track to road

DSG's extraordinary performance led to it initially being applied solely to racing vehicles. As early as the 1980s, its use was seeing VW cars notching up victory after victory on racing circuits across the world - much as the Scirocco racers are doing today,

As the technology matured, there was a new willingness among consumers to accept it. At the turn of the millennium, the technology began to migrate from track to road usage. This move saw the arrival of DSG-enabled volume sports cars, including the Golf R32 and the Audi TT,

Six-gear DSG (6-DSG) was the standard when Volkswagen first introduced the revolutionary automatic transmission. Its widespread acceptance saw its uptake surge during the 2002-2007 period. The company sold more than one million DSG-enabled cars during those five years and enjoyed a dramatic rise in its overall European market share.

In some models, notably the VW Passat Variant, the DSG installation rate actually exceeded 28 per cent. By every indicator, the technology had become a huge success and its market-leading status soon ensured that other automotive manufacturers would jump on the dual clutch bandwagon.

Its hordes of would-be imitators, however, didn't deter Volkswagen as the company prepared to introduce the next phase of DSG's evolution -- the seven-gear DSG (7-DSG).

Its launch in early 2008 and its pioneering use of "dry clutch" technology, once again confirmed VW's role as the market leader in the sector.

Designed to complement each other, the two VW DSG transmissions are suited to engines with different power outputs. This allowed for their use across a wide range of VW models, including the Polo Class and the Passat Class, and has seen an increasing number of drivers becoming DSG users. This versatility has seen some two million DSG-enabled cars sold worldwide.

Presence in China

Today, Volkswagen is not only a leader in technological terms, but is also far ahead of its rivals with regard to its positioning within the Chinese automotive market, where it now hopes to make a major impact with its DSG technology.

Back in 2007, the company unveiled its "China Powertrain Strategy," a new policy initiative by VW aimed at reducing both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in its China-manufactured vehicles by an average of 20 percent before 2010. To this end, Volkswagen decided to introduce its most advanced powertrain technologies to China, and, as a key part of that technology, DSG is indispensable.

This March, VW launched its first locally produced DSG-enabled model- the Magotaon, manufactured by its Chinese joint venture company, FAW-VW. The company has also started work on a DSG production plant in Dalian in northeastern China. As a result of the initiative, VW hopes to sell increasing numbers of DSG-enabled models in China, including its Sagitar, New Golf and Lavida ranges

Perfect combination

As one of the key tenets in the successful implementation of its "China Powertrain Strategy", Volkswagen is committed to introducing both DSG and TSI, its environmentally friendly engine technology, to China over the coming months.

Internationally regarded as something of a "dream team", VW's TSI+DSG combination has seen the company walk away with a number of international technology awards and also given it an undisputed lead in the eco-friendly automotive sector.

As a key partner for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, VW provided an "Olympic Green Fleet", equipped with advanced powertrain technology, for the duration of the games.

The Sagitar, with its combination of TSI+DSG technology, was selected as one of the model vehicles for the event, highlighting the company's technological and environmental credentials. This combination is now also installed in the company's winning team of Scirocco racers.

Set to become standard in more and more China-sourced VW models, TSI and DSG will not only ensure that the company's cars run faster, but will also continue to drive Volkswagen's progress in China.

(China Daily 08/24/2009 page7)