Introduced in 1963, the Porsche 911 is one of the most successful competition cars ever built. Despite its unconventional rear-engine platform, the 911 Carrera holds recorded wins in nearly every type of automotive competition. Continuously upgraded and refined, Porsche has introduced a mid-cycle refresh for the 2009 model year. While the cosmetic changes are immediately apparent, the most significant improvements – two new engines and a new double-clutch transmission – are hidden under its sleek skin. We spent a long day putting the 2009 911 Carrera through its paces on a race track near Salt Lake City framed by the spectacular snow-capped surrounding mountains of Utah.
Things were just starting to look up for Chrysler's upcoming powertrains. The Phoenix V6 will hopefully return competitiveness to the engine bays of Pentastar vehicles, and a dual-clutch automated manual transmission joint venture with Getrag was nearly off the ground before both companies started shoving lawyers at each other. A joint venture plant has been built in Indiana, but the deal fell apart over money for tooling. Chrysler's shot a lawsuit at Getrag, alleging that the transmission specialist hasn't ponied up for tooling and equipment to build the gearboxes. For its part, Getrag contends that it had backing from German banks provided that Chrysler put the $300 million needed into escrow, and is prepared to sue Chrysler to get reimbursed for its investment plus damages. If Getrag and Chrysler can't come to terms, it doesn't look good for the future of Chrysler's clever gearbox which would offer increased performance and fuel economy.
The 2008 BMW M3 won't be the only 3-series to get Bavaria's newest dual-clutch gearbox. According to documents leaked out of BMW's Australian arm, the 2009 335i coupe will be available with a revised version of the DCT gearbox, at least Down Under... for now. The dual-clutch transmission is the same unit fitted on the V8-powered M3, but some changes to the software are planned to better suit the turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline-six powerplant. There's no word on when the DCT gearbox will be available on U.S. shores and we don't know what kind of premium the seven-speed tranny will carry, but a DCT-equipped M3 commands an additional $2,700 over the six-speed manual, so expect a similar price when the revised 335i goes on sale, likely later this year.
While we like to chide the Stuttgart crew for "updates" to its 911 range, this newest one actually has some serious substance underneath the tweaked sheet metal. In addition to the revised headlamp and taillight design, CAR is reporting that Porsche will upgrade both the 3.6- and 3.8-liter flat-six boxers with direct-injection. The technology, first employed by Porsche on the 2007 Cayenne, boosted horsepower and torque by around 10- to 15-percent in the SUV, and we hope that similar gains can be made with its iconic six. More impressive, although not entirely unexpected, is the rumored fitment of Porsche's first dual-clutch gearbox. The Doppel Kupplungen transmission will be available on the new 911 after it's unveiled sometime this summer, with sales expected to begin this fall. There's no word on what models will benefit from the DSG 'box initially, nor was there any info about how the new tranny would be implemented on Porsche's all-wheel-drive models.
The Audi Q5 will reportedly make its official debut at the Bejing Motor Show next month and with Porsche's increased stake in the Volkswagen group – going from 31-percent to more than 50-percent – that means that VAG and Porsche might begin to finally play nice again with platform sharing.
Initially, the new Q5 was supposed to underpin Porsche's own mini 'ute, but rumors suggested that Audi's board nixed the idea for fear that a Porsche model sharing the same platform could steal sales from the new CUV. That's about to change as Porsche gets a few seats on VAG's board, and according to Autoweek, development of the vehicle-formerly-known as the Roxster is back in full swing.
While there's no new information about the Porsche, Audi's Q5 will be revealed packing the new seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic gearbox mated to a longitudinal engine. The real benefit of the new DL500 transmission is that it can handle torque output up to 405 lb.-ft. and engine revs of 8,500 rpm. The new tranny will disseminate throughout the rest of the Audi lineup in coming years, first in Quattro models, including the new A4, and then on down to the automaker's front-wheel-drive models.
Dual-clutch transmissions are washing over the automotive industry like a wave, and Renault could be the next to hang ten. The French automaker intends to use more efficient transmissions – specifically DCTs and CVTs – to help meet its emissions-reducing targets.
Although Renault could easily borrow the continuously-variable transmission from its corporate cousin Nissan, the speculation is that it could also develop its own dual-clutch gearbox. Although Nissan uses one in the new GT-R, it's outsourced from Borg-Warner. If Renault did develop its own DCT, it would likely employ lighter-weight dry clutches, and would join the growing list of carmakers with DCTs that will soon include Fiat, Volvo, BMW and, of course, Volkswagen.
Dual-clutch transmissions are emerging as the latest trend in automotive gearboxes, and the Italians aren't about to miss out on the newest fashion. Fiat announced earlier today a new family of six-speed transmissions, called C635, that will premiere as a manual in June 2009, followed by a dual-clutch version in September 2009 before the automated manual comes out in 2010.
The C635s will be offered on a range of Fiat products including Lancias and Alfa Romeos, and will be capable of handling 35kgm of torque. They'll be built by Fiat Powertrain Technologies at its Verrone plant 75km outside of Turin, handled by a workforce that will more than double to 1100 staff. Called the Dual Dry Clutch (DDC) transmission, Fiat's will follow Volkswagen's seven-speed second-generation DSG (which also switches from wet clutches to lighter-weight dry ones when it debuts on the Golf this month), Volvo's Powershift transmission (due next month) and the BMW M3's new M-DCT (available from March)
Big product changes are apparently afoot at Ford, with a series of comprehensive goals that will get more people in showrooms while simultaneously trimming costs within the automaker. FoMoCo's group veep of global product development, Derrick Kuzak, spoke at the Automotive News World Congress recently and hit on a number of points that will shape Ford's future.
To begin with, product development, styling changes and technical improvements will be on a three-year cycle, keeping it inline with many of the top tier automakers with which Ford aims to better compete. Recognizing that design is at the forefront of most consumers' minds, Kuzak said that many of the enhancements to Ford's lineup will be design-driven, noting that, "You don't design for the masses; each vehicle has a target audience."
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Honestly, we couldn't care less about BMW's recent introduction of the M3 convertible. What did get our attention is the long-awaited addition of a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox on every vehicle donning an M3 badge.
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Construction of the $530 million dollar plant being built by Chrysler and Getrag in Kokomo, Indiana, has been suspended indefinitely due to a contract dispute between the two companies. Neither Chrysler nor Getrag were willing to specify the exact reason for the stoppage, the only word from Chrysler to Automotive News was that it hopes the dispute can be resolved so that the transmissions will be available in mid-2009. We hope so too, since the new dual-clutch transmissions are an integral part of Chrysler's powertrain revamp which includes the new Phoenix V6.
