Marketing perspective: Volkswagen's low-end AT highlights the "nobility" of dual clutch. Since Volkswagen and Borg Warner installed the first mass-produced family car dual-clutch gearbox on Golf R32 in 2002, dual-clutch has become a crucial strategy for Volkswagen in the future. Before Volkswagen introduced the dual clutch gearbox, Volkswagen did not have its own automatic gearbox technology. The low-end model mainly uses 6AT of Aisin, and the high-end model uses 8AT of ZF. In order to rapidly increase the market share of the dual clutch gearbox, it has been recognized by the owner. For example, Volkswagen's Golf, Sagitar and Magotan gradually matched the dual-clutch gearbox, but many people didn't buy it at that time, because the dual clutch was only used by Volkswagen brands, but Audi didn't. In order to change this understanding, Audi's low-end models have also begun to use dual-clutch gearboxes. But at Volkswagen's low-end naturally aspirated engine matches Aisin's 6AT gearbox.
In fact, when buying a car in a 4S shop, the most common saying in sales is "dual clutch power impulse, naturally inhaling meat", which reflects the consideration at the marketing level. The advantages of adopting dual clutch matching 1.4T turbocharging power highlight the disadvantages of 1.6L naturally aspirated matching in power difference.
Technical point of view: Volkswagen's high-end AT is mainly dual clutch. There are still some shortcomings. Volkswagen's current strategy is: from the initial Volkswagen brand matching to gradually matching Audi's mid-range. For example, the common Audi a4L and A6L have been matched with dual clutch gearboxes. However, on Volkswagen's top-end Audi a8L, ZF's longitudinal 8AT gearbox is still used. The reason why this strategy is adopted is mainly because the dual-clutch gearbox still has some defects, which can not completely match with at in driving experience. Especially when the dual clutch is driving at low speed, there is still the possibility of frustration, which can not be completely solved by the dual clutch gearbox at present.
Because the dual clutch gearbox adopts the strategy of upshifting in advance, the second gear has been preselected for switching when driving in the first gear, and the third gear has been preselected for switching when driving in the second gear. This strategy makes the double clutch upshift extremely fast, but it will slow down the downshift, so it is necessary to disengage the high gear first and then engage the low gear. For example, when the dual clutch follows the car at a low speed in the third gear, the fourth gear has been pre-selected. When there is an urgent acceleration demand, the driver will use his big foot to accelerate. The normal logic is to downshift the second gear to increase the torque output, but it takes a long time to disengage the fourth gear, and the engine speed has climbed at the same time as the big foot throttle. At this time, the engine will suddenly shift into low gear at high speed, resulting in a setback. This situation is that there is no way to cure the defects of dual clutch at present. It is naturally impossible for Volkswagen to match a defective gearbox on its top-end model, which will affect its image. Of course, with the gradual implantation of 48V light mixing technology, with the cooperation of starting motor, the frustration of dual-clutch gearbox is greatly reduced. Perhaps in the near future, Volkswagen will completely replace its models with dual clutches.
Cost perspective: Toyota's low-end CVT is mainly based on cost considerations. The cost of Toyota as a Japanese car company is its primary or priority issue. The biggest advantage of CVT gearbox is its low cost. The number of parts of CVT gearbox is only 80% of that of 6AT, so the cost is naturally reduced. In addition, CVT gearbox does not need to pay expensive patent fees like AT gearbox, and the overall cost is lower. It is not surprising that Toyota matches CVT gearboxes on small and medium displacement engines. In fact, this is also a common idea of Japanese car companies. The advantages of CVT, such as availability, adequacy, fuel economy and ride comfort, are indeed more suitable for medium and small displacement vehicles.
Competition angle: Toyota's AT for mid-to high-end cars is mainly based on cost considerations: due to the structural characteristics of CVT gearbox, its instantaneous acceleration ability is relatively poor, and it can't get a better sense of control and acceleration like AT gearbox, which is naturally unbearable for some high-end cars. Therefore, in Toyota's mid-to high-end cars, Toyota adopts 6at or 8at gearbox.
AT present, the AT gearboxes in the world mainly come from ZF and Aisin. They hold a lot of AT patents, and others have to spend money to buy them if they want to enter. In this way, you will always have a higher cost than these two companies, and other manufacturers are different from these two companies in terms of performance and cost performance, including Mercedes-Benz, Ford and other big companies, so their AT can only be used by themselves and can enter the market very little. Volkswagen's high-end AT gearbox comes from ZF, and its entry-level products come from Aisin. However, Toyota, the main competitor of Volkswagen Group, owns 22.2% of Aisin, which makes the public very uneasy. Although Aisin's products are very mature, for the public, the huge demand for entry-level models makes it have to be carefully considered, because once Toyota gives priority to its own supply and reduces the supply to the public, the public will be killed immediately. Besides, the public is not interesting enough. It has been building its own dual clutch technology in China market, while in the United States, Jetta is 8AT.
Ask BMW what gearbox, ask Volkswagen Phaeton what gearbox. Volkswagen's low-end car is just a low-end 6at transmission. In addition, Volkswagen does not have the technical ability to manufacture AT transmissions, so it can only use dual clutches.
Volkswagen's high-end is also AT, and Porsche's dual clutch is PDK, which is not cheaper than AT.
General Motors was the first company to manufacture AT gearboxes. The automatic gearbox in the American market has always been based on AT, first come, first served, followed by ZF and Aisin. Volkswagen made its own double clutch and achieved great success. The European market is dominated by dual clutch, and we have also embarked on the line of dual clutch gearbox. Now the market is getting bigger, simpler, faster, more efficient and more popular.
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Look at the original box used by Volkswagen Audi!