TL;DR
- The group is planning to introduce a new eight-speed torque converter transmission in its vehicles.
- The current six-speed TC transmission isn’t produced locally in India; it is also sourced from Aisin, the Japanese manufacturer.
Currently, the Skoda-Volkswagen group sells four cars under the “India 2.0” campaign. These include the Skoda Kushaq, Skoda Slavia, Volkswagen Taigun, and Volkswagen Virtus. While the entry-level variants of these cars feature a six-speed manual transmission, the top trims feature either a six-gear torque converter unit or an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission unit.
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Skoda-Volkswagen Group Plans To Manufacture The AQ300 Transmission Locally
It turns out that the group is planning to introduce a new eight-speed torque converter transmission in its vehicles. However, the Aisin-sourced transmission (AQ300) won’t show up until 2026, which is about six to eight months away from an expected generation update.
While a report from Autocar mentions that the new eight-speed TC transmission will replace the six-speed TC unit (AQ250) that comes with the 1.0-liter TSI turbo-petrol engine, another from TeamBHP says that it will replace the seven-speed DSG unit. From what we gather, the companies will offer the new transmission in the top-most variants.
The current six-speed TC transmission isn’t produced locally in India; it is also sourced from Aisin, the Japanese manufacturer. However, as part of the new India 2.0 campaign, the companies wish to maximize local production, which not only reduces the cost of the components but makes them easier to repair as well.
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The Companies Are Waiting For Other Automakers To Jump In
However, given that the company’s sales volumes aren’t as large as others, setting up a dedicated plant won’t be feasible. Hence, the Skoda-Volkswagen group is awaiting other manufacturers, like MG Motor India and Maruti-Suzuki, to upgrade to the new eight-speed TC transmission unit.
As and when the companies do, they can set up local manufacturing of the AQ300 transmission in collaboration with each other, a venture that could benefit all the companies by reducing production costs.
“Once we find the scale with the next-generation gearbox, we are inviting everybody (other automakers) to join the party to get it done here in India for the Indian customer,” says Petr Janeba, Skoda India’s brand director. In recent years, more people have moved from a manual to an automatic transmission, primarily for the ease of driving.
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The Eight-Speed Unit Will Help Skoda-Volkswagen Cars To Meet The CAFE III Norms
Hence, the rise in demand for every manufacturer could make for a solid reason behind the local manufacturing of the AQ300 eight-speed TC transmission. In addition to this, the gearbox will also help the Skoda-Volkawagen group meet the new CAFE III norms. When compared to a six-speed transmission, an eight-speed unit allows for quicker shifting, resulting in less fuel wastage.
This should not stop anyone from buying the long-due facelifted versions of the Skoda and Volkswagen cars, as there’s a good chance that the new transmission won’t make it in time for the upgraded version.
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