The autonomous engine is stronger every generation, but why is it stuck in the gearbox?

If you want to ask what is the most important part in a car, I believe most people's answer will be "three big parts". Yes, as long as there are no moths in the engine, gearbox and chassis, it will basically not affect the normal use of the vehicle.

In everyone's inherent impression, the engine has the highest technical content among the "three big parts" of the car, and it seems to have always occupied a dominant position. After all, many people mainly look at the engine when looking at the car. Having said that, in the process of buying a car, we found that most domestic cars have the motivation to use self-developed, but this at gearbox always depends on others (such as Aisin), or simply equipped with a unified dual-clutch gearbox.

There is a more direct question: AT gearbox is so popular, why do domestic cars prefer dual-clutch gearbox?

The engine "blooms everywhere"

Times have changed. Those independent brands that used to rely on Mitsubishi engines have their own masterpieces now, especially 1.5T and 2.0T engines, which have a wide range of applications. First-line independent brands basically bid farewell to "takenism".

It is not enough to have your own engine. Many independent brands strive to achieve "excellent" level. After all, Geely, Great Wall and Changan have pointed their finger at the joint venture car, and their competitors may already have Toyota and Volkswagen. The engine will naturally not be limited to "casual use".

It is no exaggeration to say that the autonomous engine has entered the stage of letting a hundred flowers blossom. Chery 1.6T engine data are bright, Changan 1.5T and 2.0T Blue Whale power holds high the banner of "quietness, strength and cleanness", FAW 2.0T and GAC brand-new 2.0T engines have bright thermal efficiency, and Great Wall announced that 2.0T+9DCT power system is coming soon. ......

In terms of power parameters and fuel consumption, some independent engines have been able to compete with joint venture rivals, creating a prosperous scene for domestic cars, but on the other hand, everyone is worried about gearbox problems.

The gearbox is "outstanding"

In contrast to the autonomous engine is the gearbox, and the "outstanding" here is undoubtedly the dual clutch (DCT) gearbox.

At present, the gearboxes of domestic cars are mostly in 6th and 7th gears, and the propaganda words of car companies are usually "high transmission efficiency", "good sports performance" and "fast acceleration". But even if the independent brand says how awesome the dual clutch is, there are always people who want to ask: Why is there no AT gearbox?

In fact, the situation of at gearbox for domestic cars is not without it. Haval H6 and Changan CS75, the independent champions and runners-up in the recent SUV sales list? In addition, the former is mainly a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox, while the latter adopts Aisin 6AT and Aisin 8AT gearboxes. To put it bluntly, domestic cars want to use AT gearboxes, and generally have to rely on others.

Of course, the domestic AT gearbox is not completely absent. For example, Shengrui 8AT gearbox (equipped with Pentium T99), one of the "Top Ten Gearboxes in 2020", is self-produced. However, compared with the works of international manufacturers such as Aisin 8AT and ZF 8AT, its reputation is naturally lacking.

The dilemma of manufacturing AT gearbox

For the problem that independent brands can't make at gearboxes, in fact, "historical reasons" account for more than half.

First of all, AT gearbox is more complicated than DCT and CVT, and it is more difficult to develop, which is one of them; Secondly, those international gearbox giants, such as Aisin and ZF, have formed their own technical patent barriers, and it is certain that the latecomers will suffer. Of course, big manufacturers like GM and Honda will also have their own AT gearboxes, but that is another matter, because domestic cars were "urgent" than anyone else at that time.

Imagine, if you want to make a big fight and spend a lot of energy and time on AT gearbox, whether it is successful or not, in case of unstable quality and poor market response, wouldn't it be worth the loss?

As it happens, the structure of dual clutch gearbox is similar to that of manual gearbox, and autonomous vehicle companies just have the foundation to build manual gearbox. Therefore, in 2008, Borgwarner and Zhongfalian Investment Co., Ltd. set up subsidiaries, and Geely, FAW, Dongfeng, Great Wall, Chery, Jianghuai and other car companies all participated. With the help of Borgwarner, the independent brand has its own dual-clutch gearbox.

Dual clutch gearbox may not be as good as AT and CVT gearbox in ride comfort, but it is less difficult to develop after all, and similar to manual gearbox, it has the advantage of high transmission efficiency and can achieve faster shift speed.

Most importantly, ten years ago, when there was a shortage of autonomous gearboxes, the dual-clutch gearbox solved the urgent need of domestic cars. Whether they are good or not, at least we don't have to look at other people's faces and be controlled by others. Suppose a self-selling car lives on Aisin gearbox, and one day Aisin will give you a sentence of "insufficient production", which will undoubtedly be passive.

Autonomous AT gearbox has a long way to go.

Seeing this, I believe that everyone has deeply felt that the road to developing at gearboxes is even more bumpy than building engines. Moreover, with the maturity of dual-clutch gearbox technology, DCT models such as Haval H6, Geely Job and Roewe RX5 also sell well and are recognized. Is it necessary to spend a lot of energy and cost on AT gearbox at this time? Some insiders also said: "Even if there is an independent AT gearbox, will consumers recognize it compared with Aisin and ZF?"

Having said that, once we enter the field of mid-to high-end cars, everyone will still recognize at gearboxes. In some people's impression, CVT and dual clutch are exclusive to low-end models (except perhaps Volkswagen), AT is in line with high-end status, and independent brands have been attacking high-end in recent years. AT gearbox has vaguely become a hard bone to chew, but it seems that it has to be chewed.

In short, there is still a long way to go to independently develop and produce AT gearboxes, compared with autonomous engines with stronger waves. What do you think of this?

This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.