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Hyundai has developed a six-speed automatic transaxle that is claimed to boost fuel economy by 12 per cent. The unit is designed for transverse engine applications in passenger cars and SUVs.
The new six-speed went into production this month. Five variants of the transaxle will be produced for petrol and diesel engines and 16 different Hyundai models will get this transmission including a redesigned Santa Fe, which is due to arrive in late in 2009 and early 2010 in some markets.
“The strength of our design is its completely unique layout, which makes it smaller, more compact and lighter than any other six-speed on the market today,” said Hong-Min Kim, the project manager of the transaxle at Hyundai R&D Centre.
The transaxle will first arrive in the new Hyundai Grandeur equipped with a 3.3-litre V6 petrol engine. In this application, it delivers a 12.2 per cent gain in fuel economy.
The gearbox is ‘filled for life’ with automatic transmission fluid and needs no topping up, reducing servicing costs.
The gearbox is 12kg lighter than the five-speed it replaces, is 41mm shorter and simpler having 62 fewer parts.