To the Point: The 7-speed DSG

DSG – the intelligent automatic gearbox from Volkswagen

•  World’s first 7-speed DSG for high-volume production  starting in the Golf

• Significantly improved fuel economy and lower emissions thanks to DSG

• From Polo to Passat – new DSG for all TDI and TSI engines up to 250 Nm

Wolfsburg / Barcelona, 21 January 2008 - Five years ago Volkswagen presented the first production dual-clutch transmission in the world: the 6-speed DSG. An intelligent automatic, a transmission of superlatives. The winning move of dual clutch transmissions had begun at Volkswagen. Since then over one million 6-speed DSGs have been sold! In just the first eleven months of last year 364,000 were sold. This is now being followed up by another transmission sensation: the world’s first 7-speed DSG to be produced in high-volume. For many car drivers this could signify the final turn away from conventional transmissions. Because the new DSG can do everything better than a manual gearbox. It is more fuel efficient, sporty and comfortable.

DSG for the "small" high-volume engines

The new 7-speed DSG makes the revolutionary transmission technology available for smaller engines too, engines that develop up to 250 Newton-meter torque. The 7-speed DSG will be initially introduced on the Golf, Golf Variant, Golf Plus and Jetta – paired with the latest TSI (90 kW / 122 PS) and the bestselling TDI (77 kW / 105 PS) of the model series.

New "dry" dual clutch improves efficiency

The most prominent component of the DSG is its dual clutch. In comparison to the 6-speed DSG, there is no "wet" clutch in the new transmission – that is a clutch immersed in an oil bath – rather a "dry" clutch. That too is a world first for DSG technology. This and other engineering modifications led to significant improvements to the DSG’s efficiency. The result: Further reduced fuel consumption and emissions values, even greater convenience and driving fun.

The 122 PS TSI in the Golf consumes just 5.9 liters/100 km with DSG. A record

A look at the fuel economy and driving performance data of the Golf, with and without 7-speed DSG, underscores the progress made. This much can be said right away: The new 122-PS TSI on the Golf is a masterpiece of fuel efficiency. Shifted by a manual 6-speed gearbox, the charged gasoline engine in the Golf consumes just 6.3 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers – and this is even less than that of models with lower PS output. However, when the same Golf TSI is paired with the new 7-speed DSG, average fuel consumption (95 ROZ octane Super) is reduced even further: to just 5.9 liters. Similarly, CO2 emissions are reduced from 149 g/km to 139 g/km. These are data that just a short while ago would have been considered inconceivable for a gasoline engine in this performance class. Especially for an automatic: Compared to a conventional automatic with torque converter, the new DSG even consumes up to 20 percent less fuel!

DSG market share up to 28 percent. Trend is upward

Since the 7-speed DSG can now also serve on smaller engines, another jump in volume can be expected for DSG. In the final months of 2007, the DSG share in the Golf class – even without 7-speed DSG – already rose to above nine percent. The year’s average for the new Golf Variant came in at over ten percent. On the Golf Plus the average for 2007 was greater than twelve percent. The Jetta had a DSG share of over 13 percent, and the Eos over 14 percent. 24 percent of all Touran buyers chose a dual-clutch transmission in the past year. It was about 22 percent on the Passat sedan and over 28 on the Passat Variant. The trend toward automatics – when they have DSG – is therefore clearly evident.

Before production start the new DSG covered two million test kilometers

Both DSGs are built at the VW Transmission Plant in Kassel. The light 70 kilogram 7-speed DSG is built with about 400 parts. The new transmission is like an old friend to employees in Kassel as production volume is being ramped up these days: as early as September 2005 a die-casting machine was used to produce the first prototype case. While the many DSGs had to prove their qualities on stationary test benches for far more than 60,000 hours of durability testing, developers sent the other DSG prototypes aboard Golf and Co. to run test trial routes in the real world. They covered about two million kilometers. Afterwards the findings were clear: the new DSG is extremely durable and extremely efficient too.

Pilot production started in November 2007 in Kassel

In the last week of November 2007, series production of the new DSG was finally started. Plans already call for increasing output up to 750 7-speed DSGs per day over the course of this year. If demand rises even more, production could be ramped up to 1,500 7-speed DSGs per day by implementing a second assembly line. In parallel, 1,500 units of the 6-speed DSG are being produced daily in Kassel. Demand is booming!

Interesting Figures from the DSG World

• 0.4 liters fuel per 100 kilometers fuel savings on Golf TSI (122 PS) plus 7-speed DSG compared to identically powered counterpart with 6-speed manual transmission

• 1.7 liters of oil are at work in the 7-speed DSG

• 6 models can currently be ordered with 7-speed DSG

• 6.5 liters of oil are at work in the 6-speed DSG

• 70 kilograms is the weight of the 7-speed DSG

• 93 kilograms is the weight of the 6-speed DSG

• 105 PS is the power output of the currently "smallest" Volkswagen engine with DSG

• 140 degrees (maximum) hot oil surrounds the control module (mechatronics) on the 6-speed DSG

• 226 employees work in DSG production

• 250 Newton-meter is the maximum torque of engines that are paired with Volkswagen’s 7-speed DSG

• 300 PS is the power output of the currently "largest" Volkswagen engine with DSG

• 350 Newton-meter is the maximum torque of engines that are paired with Volkswagen’s 6-speed DSG

• 750 7-speed DSGs are already being produced every day at transmission plant in Kassel

• 1,500 6-speed DSGs leave the Kassel transmission plant daily

• 2003: first 6-speed DSG is introduced (on the Golf R32)

• 2004: 6-speed DSG is used in combination with a turbodiesel for the first time (on Golf TDI and Touran TDI with 105 PS and 140 PS, respectively)

• 2004: new Golf GTI offers a TSI paired with DSG for the first time

• 2005: first Bugatti Veyron 16.4 with DSG is delivered

• 2007: new Golf TSI with 122 PS and 7-speed DSG already places 2nd in Environmental Automobile List of the Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD; "German Travel Club") for the compact class

• 2007: Golf GT Sport with 170 PS strong TSI plus 6-speed DSG wins Technological Innovation of the Year award in Barcelona

• 2007: at the end of this year series production was started for the 7-speed DSG

• 2008: new Golf TSI with 122 PS and 7-speed DSG earns "Yellow Angel 2008" award by ADAC in "Innovation and Environment" category

• 150,000 6-speed DSGs – this DSG production milestone was surpassed at the Kassel transmission plant in 2005
  400,000 is the number of Volkswagens sold worldwide with DSG in 2007

• 1,000,000 6-speed DSGs – this DSG production milestone was surpassed at the Kassel transmission plant in 2007

• 2,000,000 is the number of test kilometers covered by the 7-speed DSG over the course of its development