Detroit, January 15, 2013: With its theme of ‘Opening New Perspectives for Fuel Efficiency’, ZF has exhibited innovative driveline and chassis technology for the US American automotive market. At its NAIAS booth in Detroit, ZF is focusing on product innovations that contribute to major fuel savings: for one thing, the world's first 9-speed automatic transmission that will undergo its SOP in the US in 2013, and, for another thing, lightweight chassis solutions.
The new 9-speed automatic transmission for passenger cars with front-transverse drive reduces fuel consumption by 10 to 16 percent compared to the 6-speed automatic transmissions which are currently standard for this drive configuration. With its two model ranges, it covers a torque range between 200 and 480 Nm. Thanks to its modular principle, the basic transmission can be supplemented as needed. Thus, different starting elements, hybrid and all-wheel-drive applications can also be implemented cost-efficiently in the restricted installation space conditions with front-transverse passenger cars. The new transmission will be launched in volume production already in 2013: It will be produced at ZF's new production location in Gray Court, South Carolina.
From there, ZF will also supply its US customers with the 8-speed automatic transmission for front-longitudinal engine designs. It is the first multi-ratio transmission enabling a stop/start function without an auxiliary pump. Not least because of this function does it contribute to fuel savings of up to 11 percent compared to its predecessor. The basic transmission can be supplemented depending on the requirements and application. The result is a complete transmission generation with different variants ? from hybrid to all-wheel drive.
Lightweight chassis design
ZF is also showcasing how lightweight design in the chassis can save weight – this again improves fuel efficiency. The combination of lightweight design and different materials allows the concept of a lightweight suspension strut wheel carrier module to weigh only half as much as conventional steel-aluminum modules. In another study, a passenger car rear axle with a wheel-guiding transverse spring made of glass-fiber-reinforced plastics shows how ZF transferred its lightweight expertise to complete axle systems. Lightweight products that are already in volume production at ZF round off the product range presented at the NAIAS: SMiCA, the Sheet Metal integrated Control Arm, and a fibre-reinforced composite brake pedal that weighs 50 percent less than a steel brake pedal.