Geely’s New Dual-Clutch Transmission Finds Application in Malaysia
Proton, a Malaysian automotive company, has recently announced that the new X70 SUV model will be equipped with a 7-speed DCT transmission, and before its official release, the automaker invited a group of media reporters to China for the purpose of learning more about the new transmission solution. The wet clutch unit, designed by Geely together with Volvo, is being produced at 2 Geely’s manufacturing facilities in China, and it has already found application in some vehicle models.
The new gearbox is claimed to be the same
dimensions as 6-speed automatics and weighs less (only 75 kg). The transmission
comes with a special shift-by-wire electronic gear lever and paddle shifters.
It can shift gears pretty fast (0.3 seconds per shift) and has a maximum torque
capacity of 330 Nm.
Boyue Pro drivetrain
It is said that the DCT provides unmatched
efficiency rates, as the new solution actually outperforms VW’s dry clutch
DSGs, at the same time ensuring lower driveline losses than German wet clutch
units. The overall efficiency rate of the Geely solution is close to parameters
of conventional manual shifters, and it allows the Geely’s Boyue Pro to stand
out on the Chinese automotive market for its enhanced fuel consumption rates.
Geely says the new DCT is also more efficient than some of Aisin’s automatics.
Putting aside the question of efficiency, it is well-known that VW’s dry clutch DSGs have a bad reputation when it comes to durability. Geely, in turn, claims that its engineering specialists in cooperation with their Volvo colleagues managed to avoid VW’s mistakes. The new transmission fully complies with Volvo’s stringent durability regulations, ensuring a service life of more than 350,000 km. The new gearbox was also subjected to a wide range of field tests under severe weather conditions in various countries. All in all, total distance covered by the test team reached over nine million kilometers.
Moreover, efficiency and durability of the new DCT will be enhanced by the use of patented low-viscosity technology. This is especially important as DCTs require a different lubricant that significantly differs in operating properties from traditional ATFs. At the same time, servicing intervals for the new DCT are similar to conventional automatics. The upcoming 2020 Proton X70 CKD is the 1-st vehicle jointly constructed by PROTON and Geely and is the 1-st Proton model in the premium SUV segment.
