Geely debuts new self-developed transmission technology

"Within this year, six-speed automatic transmission will be standard for Geely vehicles," the Chongqing Economic Times quoted Geely Deputy General Manager Zhang Hongyan as stating. Mr. Zhang made the statement at the event marking the release of the Gleagle GX7 and GC7 in Sichuan and Chongqing.

The independently developed automatic transmission (pictured) will not only drive the GX7 and GC7, but will also be available on the Emgrand EC7, Emgrand EC8, Englon CS7 and other future models. The transmission does not only represent an important step for Geely, but Chinese own brand manufacturers as a whole.

Six-speed automatic transmissions are very rare among own brands, with the BAIC Besturn B50 and SAIC-GM-Wuling Baojun 630 being among the only vehicles equipped with one. Lack of independently developed automatic transmissions has been a major thorn in the side of domestic manufacturers. Although Chery, JAC and other manufacturers have invested a great deal of funds to research the technology, they have yet to reap significant rewards. Furthermore, Chinese production is chiefly focused on manufacturing semi-automatic transmissions, with standard automatic, continuously variable and other transmissions being imported from foreign enterprises such as Aisen Seiki and Mitsubishi. Not only do own brands have to forego an amount of their profits to purchase the parts, they do not exercise direct control over supply issues.

In addition to the six-speed automatic transmission, Mr. Zhang also confirmed that the manufacturer plans to unveil new turbocharged engine technology by the end of the year. The engine will make its first appearance on the Englon SC5-RV. He also revealed that Geely had successfully complete research and development work on tire pressure monitoring and comprehensive safety systems.

Several believe that Geely's recent advancements in auto part technology are partly due to its foreign purchases over the years, chief being its acquisition of Swedish manufacturer Volvo.