With the popularity of the domestic pickup truck market and the trend of passenger pickup trucks, it is no longer new for pickup trucks to be equipped with automatic transmissions. The most common ones are 6/7/8-speed automatic transmissions. At the same time, some parallel imported pickup trucks There is also a 10-speed automatic transmission, and of course a large number of pickup trucks use manual transmissions.
Due to the relatively late development of my country’s automobile industry, many people still have a traditional concept of gearboxes. They believe that the more gears in an automatic gearbox, the better. 8AT is definitely better than 6AT is good. In fact, each gearbox has its own advantages and disadvantages. Which gearbox to use for a pickup truck depends not only on the number of gears, but also on many factors such as cost, matching degree, and cooperative relationships. Today, let’s take a look at what kind of automatic transmissions are found on common pickup trucks in China.
ZF 8AT
Used models: Great Wall Cannon, JMC Territory Tiger 7/9, SAIC Pickup T70, Ruiqi 6, Foton General, etc.
The ZF 8AT gearbox is an automatic gearbox currently equipped on many flagship pickup models of independent brands. Due to its early use in BMW models, this gearbox became famous, so the same gearbox appeared on a pickup truck, which also improved the grade of this pickup truck.
ZF is headquartered in Germany and is a partner and parts supplier to the global automotive industry. It specializes in providing transmission, steering, chassis systems and other automotive parts. ZF Group's automotive powertrain and chassis technology is a world leader.
But the following introduction will definitely surprise you. This ZF gearbox is actually now domestically produced. Its manufacturer is ZF Transmission Co., Ltd. located in Jiading, Shanghai. This is why many pickup trucks and self-owned brand models now use it. After localization, the cost will be reduced. It is logical that such a gearbox that was once used in luxury brands such as BMW can "fly into the homes of ordinary people", and it is not surprising that it even appears in a pickup truck.
ZF 6AT
Models used: Foton Toplander E7, etc.
Do you think ZF only has 8AT? That could not be more wrong. In fact, every auto parts manufacturer does not just produce one product. ZF also has a 6AT product, but this product does not seem to be widely used in China. I remember that when the author attended the Foton Toplander E7 launch conference, the manufacturer introduced that this car was equipped with a ZF 6AT gearbox. At that time, there was no domestic ZF 8AT, and this gearbox was indeed considered a A relatively high-cost product.
Aisin 6AT
Models used: Jiangxi Isuzu D-MAX, etc.
After talking about ZF, there must be the matter of Aisin gearbox. Because many people have heard the legend that "6AT requires Aisin, and 8AT requires ZF". Although Aisin's 6AT gearbox has a long history, its stability and durability have always been the highlight of its reputation. Aisin's full name is Japan Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. It is a company that mainly manufactures automobile parts, automobile maintenance equipment, hardware, mechanical equipment, power tools and other products. Of course, Aisin is best known for its automotive automatic transmissions, with Aisin's product market share ranking first in the world.
Stability and durability are exactly what a pickup truck strives for in terms of reliability. D-MAX itself is a vehicle with strong off-road properties. Many players use it to travel long distances, run on sandy plateaus, etc. For these people, the few gears are not important. What is important is that it can be used when needed. When driving, it can continuously and reliably transmit the engine's power to the wheels.
Some people may say that it has 6 gears, two less than ZF’s 8AT. The technology is old and it will definitely consume fuel. What I want to say is that the number of gears does not determine whether a car is cheap or fuel-efficient. It also involves the vehicle's power performance, transmission ratio, tires and a lot of other things. And card fans must remember the term transmission ratio. Even if there are fewer gears, maybe the gear ratio of their highest gear is not much different, so when cruising in the highest gear at the same speed, the fuel consumption may be very close.
JATCO 7AT
Model used: Zhengzhou Nissan Navara
Speaking of JATCO, not many people may know about it, but if you If you own a Nissan car, then this gearbox is basically from this brand. Because JATCO, one of the world's largest automatic transmission manufacturers, is controlled by Nissan, it is perfect for them to use their own products for themselves.
Although JATCO also has production bases in China, most of the products produced by domestic factories are CVT gearboxes, which is also JATCO's most famous gearbox type. Therefore, the 7-speed automatic transmission equipped on the Zhengzhou Nissan Navara comes from an overseas factory and is an original import. This transmission has been used in Infiniti and Nissan 370Z for a long time, so its reliability is also very good.
In addition, in April this year, JATCO announced a new 9-speed automatic transmission, code-named JR913E. This transmission is specially designed for longitudinal engines and is already equipped with On the new Nissan Titan. Nissan has released a new generation of family pedigree. The new Navara and the new Frontier are very similar in appearance, and may also use this 9-speed automatic transmission in the future. If this is the case, then this new 9AT gearbox is expected to be introduced into the domestic Navara.
Bangzhi 6AT
Models used: Jiangxi Isuzu Suzutuo, Changan Kaicheng F70, Huanghai N3, ZTE Lord, etc.
Many people associate Bangzhi with Bangzhi I'm confused, so I'll take this opportunity to explain it to everyone. Bangzhi transmission comes from France. As early as 2012, the Belgian PUNCH Group acquired a General Motors automatic transmission factory in France and changed its name to PUNCH Powerglide, which translated into Chinese is Bangzhi Transmission.
In China, Bangzhi transmissions are mainly used in hard-core models and pickup trucks, such as Jiangxi Isuzu's Suzuto and Changan Kaicheng F70, etc., which are equipped with Bangzhi 6L50 automatic transmissions, which can withstand up to 550N. ·M of torque, compared to the power of these current models, this gearbox is still very tolerant.
Punch 6AT
Model used: SAIC Pickup T60 Pickup
It seems a bit confusing when it comes to Punch. The company has been acquired by Volvo and ZF. , was later acquired by the Belgian PUNCH Group, and finally was acquired by the Chinese Yinyi Group. Punch's main product is not AT products. Its CVT gearbox is used by many domestic car companies.
Since Punch has been mainly producing CVT gearboxes, it does not have sufficient experience in AT gearboxes. Therefore, there are also rumors that Punch’s 6AT gearbox is actually manufactured by the discontinued ZF. It is improved from the 6AT (6HP). This speculation is not unfounded. After all, Punch has also been acquired by ZF, and it is understandable that it has ZF's technology.
Summary: As a very important transmission part between the engine and the wheels, the gearbox has very high technical requirements. The research and development cycle, R&D funds, etc. required for this component are very large. Without strong financial support, it is not enough to launch new products. After launching a new product, we must consider whether it can be widely promoted, adapted to the engines of various car companies, etc., and finally the cost must be recouped through mass production. So you will see that there are only a few internationally renowned gearbox suppliers, and even fewer domestic ones.
However, powerful car companies such as Great Wall, Changan, Chery, etc. are also focusing on research and development in this area. After all, only by producing all parts in-house can costs be reduced. For example, Honeycomb Yichuang, a subsidiary of Great Wall, has independently developed a 9AT automatic transmission. The Yongchuan production base to produce this transmission has also started construction. The Honeycomb Yichuang 9AT automatic transmission will replace the ZF 8AT automatic transmission currently used by Great Wall Cannon. .
We hope that domestic pickup truck companies can have their own developed engines, gearboxes, transfer cases, drive shafts, axles and other parts, so that domestic pickup truck products can be more competitive. More international.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.