For a long time, we have been emphasizing that for independent brands, the most important task is to establish their own core technologies on the basis of ensuring product quality, especially engines, gearboxes and chassis Tuning. Among them, automatic transmission is a very important aspect. In recent years, although we have seen some domestic third-party suppliers, such as Shengrui, Dongan Power and other manufacturers, they have launched 6-speed and 8-speed automated manual transmissions, namely 6AT, 8AT gearbox, but at the manufacturer level, especially when first-tier independent brands such as Geely, Changan, and Great Wall launch their own automatic gearboxes, the trend is basically towards dual-clutch gearboxes. We have seen that in some low-level products Basically, these three companies use dual-clutch gearboxes.
Everyone knows that among the current automatic transmissions, dual-clutch transmissions should be considered at the end of the contempt chain. Everyone knows that dual-clutch transmissions have less frustration and less torque. An obvious shortcoming is that from the perspective of use experience, the overall performance of automated manual transmission (AT) and continuously variable transmission (CVT) transmission is better than that of dual-clutch transmission. This is also the reason why the mid-to-high-end models of Geely, Changan, and Great Wall are basically equipped with Aisin’s 6AT, 8AT, and ZF 8AT. In fact, the manufacturers themselves also understand that the 6AT and 8AT of Aisin and ZF are inherently It represents a kind of advancement, so putting it on your own products can be regarded as an improvement in product strength.
So why don’t independent brand manufacturers use Aisin and ZF’s 6AT and 8AT gearboxes on most models? In other words, why don't independent brands develop AT gearboxes and CVTs? First is the first question. Although 6AT and 8AT gearboxes are more mature, have stronger product capabilities, and have better user experience, the procurement costs of these two brands of gearboxes are very high. Aisin It is relatively cheaper, but overall it is also very expensive. Think about it, a domestic car priced at RMB 70,000 to RMB 80,000 is equipped with a 6AT or 8AT gearbox from Aisin and ZF. The result is that either other configurations need to be greatly reduced, or they can only No more money is made, neither of which is in line with the interests and demands of independent brands.
The second question is that in fact, the most mature technologies and patents for AT gearboxes in the world are basically concentrated in the hands of two manufacturers, Aisin and ZF. So there is a technological gap between patents and independent brands. It is basically impossible to reversely develop an AT gearbox through imitation and copying. The situation of the CVT gearbox is even more difficult to say. Although the CVT gearbox is cheaper than the mature AT gearbox, the core component of the CVT gearbox - the transmission steel belt - can only be produced by Germany's Bosch and Schaeffler. Therefore, it is very difficult for independent brands to develop their own AT gearboxes and CVT gearboxes. Even if they are barely developed, the maturity and user experience will be relatively poor.
However, independent brands must have their own automatic transmissions, otherwise once the cooperation breaks down or other reasons cause the supplier to compress or interrupt the supply of the independent brand, the impact on the independent brand will be It is very large, so for the sake of market and product "safety", independent brands must achieve self-production and self-research of core components such as engines and gearboxes on some low-priced and high-volume models!
So why can dual-clutch gearboxes become the "savior" of independent brands in the gearbox field? In fact, we have seen that brands such as Volkswagen and General Motors have dual-clutch gearboxes. Of course, suppliers such as Getrag also have dual-clutch gearboxes. As we said before, many independent brands also have their own dual-clutch gearboxes. So why are there no patent barriers and technical gaps like AT gearboxes and CVT gearboxes at the dual-clutch gearbox level?
In fact, if we give an example, everyone will understand. Think about it, what systems are used by mobile phone manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, and OnePlus? Yes, they all use the Android system. Based on the native Android system, these manufacturers use post-production design to make the system have its own characteristics when it is displayed on the front end. Why can so many domestic and foreign manufacturers use the Android system and conduct secondary development based on the technology of the native Android system? The reason is that Android is open source, which means that the source code is public and can be used by everyone and developed later.
The same is true for dual-clutch gearboxes. In fact, the structure and basic principles of dual-clutch gearboxes are the same, but the underlying technology of dual-clutch gearboxes is not in the hands of one manufacturer, so the fact It also means "open source", so in this case, in fact, the bottom-level technology of the dual-clutch gearbox becomes public. In this case, independent brand manufacturers can use the "native" dual-clutch gearbox to The clutch technology was re-adjusted and re-developed to adapt it to its own engine. Of course, the most important thing is that the underlying technology of the dual-clutch gearbox itself is relatively simple, and there is no possibility of patent monopoly.
So when independent brands must have their own automatic transmissions, and it is difficult to break through the technical and patent barriers of AT transmissions and CVT transmissions, they can only invest in the relatively easy dual-clutch transmission. But despite this, the natural shortcomings of the dual-clutch gearbox have not been completely overcome! Therefore, in the long run, as long as we are still in the era of fuel vehicles, AT gearboxes and CVT gearboxes are more worthy of the efforts of independent brand manufacturers to develop!
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.