Borg Warner to invest $40 million in dual-clutch transmission facility
03/11/2008, 2:26 PM
By Drew Johnson
Borg Warner announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Arndtadt, Germany, which will effectively double the manufacturing area of its dual-clutch transmission modules dubbed DualTronic. The company will have 107,000 square feet at its disposal, and the move will create 150 new jobs by 2010. A vehicle lab and test track complete with tight curves and steep grades are part of the expansion.
The old plant manufactured about 1 million DualTronic units in its four-year existence, but the new, combined facility is expected to build 2.3 million transmissions per year once fully up and running. Borg Warner forecasts demand for dual-clutch transmissions to increase five-fold by 2013, and is therefore planning on investing about 26 million euro (nearly $40 million) on the expansion.
Borg Warner already supplies VW, Audi, Nissan, BMW, GM, Toyotoa, Bugatti, Fiat and others with their dual-clutch transmission under various monikers, with the DSG unit in the Volkswagen GTI as one of the first and most popular examples.
03/11, 3:56 PM
posted by:
jamaicandude
When a company like Borg Warner is prepared to invest that kind of cheese into a new factory for a transmission, then you know that dual clutch is the way to go. We’ll be seeing these in a lot more cars. Purists will howl, but you can’t really argue with the performance potential.
03/11, 4:04 PM
posted by:
agent09
borg is a way better name than limp plunger
03/11, 8:06 PM
posted by:
1c3d0g
Of course dual clutches transmissions are the way forward. It’s the most superior, mass-production ready design available. I hope every car maker incorporates them into their vehicles.
03/11, 8:33 PM
posted by:
autonut
Borg Warner US company. Building this capacity in Europe means increasing cost of each tranny they plan to sell. Why not build them here and ship there?
03/11, 8:49 PM
posted by:
deutschetouring1337
They are of course the most expensive to fix compared to legacy model types of transmissions.
03/12, 2:14 PM
posted by:
Z06ified
Well its interesting how almost everyone gives credit to the Germans for inventing the DSG transmission (Audi, VW, and BMW), when it was actually a U.S. company that designed and built it.
Borg Warner got virtually no credit or publicity for developing this technological wonder.
03/12, 6:49 PM
posted by:
bigp
if an american company makes it why dont more am companies use the transmission
03/12, 11:09 PM
posted by:
deutschetouring1337
Cost.
03/15, 3:59 PM
posted by:
1c3d0g
Z06ified: of course, since it’s an American company, nobody gives credit where credit is due. But if it came from anywhere outside North America, it’d be the best thing since sliced bread. As you can see there’s a bunch of hypocrites roaming these forums…