As one of the first-tier luxury brands in China, BMW and Mercedes-Benz basically only use dual-clutch in performance cars. Most models use AT gearboxes. So why does Audi insist on using dual-clutch?
For things like gearboxes, I don’t just use whatever I want, but it depends on what I can use? Volkswagen originally wanted to use an AT, but its strength did not allow it, so it could only use a dual-clutch gearbox.
In addition to suppliers and technical difficulties, Audi uses dual-clutch for the following reasons.
1. The cost of dual-clutch gearboxes is lower
It is impossible to purchase the relatively low-priced 6AT for Audi's high-end models, but if you purchase ZF's 8AT, the cost is very high . And as I said just now, it is impossible for Audi to purchase all transmissions from suppliers, and it is easy for suppliers to get stuck. Trumpchi GS8 once encountered this problem. Moreover, if the gearbox is developed in-house, the manufacturing cost and R&D cost of the dual-clutch gearbox will be much lower than that of the AT gearbox. With the only option to develop its own gearbox, Audi chose the path with the lowest cost.
2. Emission policy pressure
Whether it is the United States, Europe or China, the government’s emission and fuel consumption standards for car companies are not low. For example, China requires car companies to The average fuel consumption of all its models has been reduced to 5 liters per 100 kilometers per year. However, Audi and the Volkswagen Group behind it are companies with little technology accumulation in the new energy field and few new energy models. The transmission efficiency of the dual-clutch gearbox is the highest among automatic gearboxes, and it can more easily meet the needs of emission policies.
3. Audi’s dual-clutch is gradually maturing
In the past, Volkswagen’s dual-clutch was on the 315th party because of the death flash problem, but in recent years, the dual-clutch technology of Volkswagen and Audi has It has gradually matured and is already the best dual-clutch gearbox on the market in terms of longevity, failure rate, and smoothness. Especially Audi's wet dual-clutch, except for some intrusions at low speeds, it is basically not noticeable in daily driving that this is a dual-clutch gearbox.
No matter why Audi insists on using a dual-clutch gearbox, Audi's dual-clutch actual performance is already good, and we don't need to talk about the discoloration of dual-clutch. If you drive on a relatively smooth road, I think dual-clutch is a better choice than AT gearbox.