Getrag speeds up gear shifts in new Smart ForTwo

PAGE 22 · www.autonewseurope.com April 16, 2007

Getrag speeds up gear shifts in new Smart ForTwo

AXLE SHIMS:EAGLEPICHER

5-SPEED AMT:GETRAG

STEERING GEAR BOOTS:CONTITECH

LICENSE PLATE LAMP:HELLA KGAA HUECK & CO.

TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING :GATES

STEERING COLUMN:THYSSENKRUPP PRESTA

TIRES:BRIDGESTONE

FASTENERS:A. RAYMOND

SUNROOF MOTORS:NIDEC MOTORS AND ACTUATORS

CARPET FLOOR COVERING:STANKIEWICZ

BRAKE LINE SYSTEM FASTENING:EMHART TEKNOLOGIES

GAS SPRING TAILGATE:STABILUS

TRANSMISSION ECU:MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION

ALLOY WHEELS:BORBET

REAR LAMPS:SCHEFENACKER

ABDS MECHANICAL TENSIONERS:GATES POWER TRANSMISSION

FIXED QUARTER GLASS:DURA AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS

SHOCK ABSORBERS:THYSSENKRUPP BILSTEIN

SEATS:INTIER SEATING

FUEL TANK:INERGY AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS

Many people complained that the original Smart ForTwo’s six-speedautomated manual transmission shifted gears too slowly. The newfive-speed automated manual, which also is from Getrag, cuts shiftingtimes in half. The gearbox also is equipped with a function that allows

the driver to shift down two gears at once, eliminating overrevvingand incorrect gear changes. Magna International subsidiaries makemultiple contributions to the ForTwo. Magna Cosma operates thebody-in-white assembly line and supplies the crash management sys-

tem. Magna Intier Automotive Seating supplies the seats, Magna Clo-sures delivers the doors and Magna Donnelly provides interior mirrors.

Steven Wingett

BELT LOCK SENSOR CABLE HARNESS:HIRSCHMANN AUTOMOTIVE

WINDSHIELD:AGC AUTOMOTIVE

FRONTEND-MODULE-CARRIER:PLASTAL

EXTERIOR MIRRORS:SCHEFENACKER

RADIO:VISTEON

OIL FILTERS:MAHLE

CAMS (DIESEL ENGINES):NEUMAYER TEKFOR

PISTONS:KOLBENSCHMIDT PIERBURG

CLUTCH:ZF

STARTER MOTOR:MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION

ENGINE COOLING MOTORS:NIDEC MOTORS AND ACTUATORS

STABILIZER BAR FRONT:MUBEA

VALVE STEM SEALS:SKF SEALING SOLUTIONS

CATALYST:EMITEC

FASTENERS:TRW ENGINEERED FASTENERS & COMPONENTS

DIESEL TURBOCHARGER :BORGWARNER

ESP:BOSCH

ROOF MODULE:WEBASTO

IMPAXX ENERGY ABSORBING FOAM:DOW AUTOMOTIVE

SUSPENSIONS SPRING:MUBEA

SEAT BACK SUSPENSION:LEGGETT & PLATT AUTOMOTIVE GROUP

INSTRUMENT PANEL:FAURECIA

POWER WINDOW REGULATORS:BROSE

Car cutaway

Suppliers wanted: If you are a supplier and have questions or want your information considered for our cutaway features, contact Steven Wingett at automotivenews@supplierbusiness.com.

Audi development chiefpledges technical advances Audi’s product-line expansion willbe accompanied by major technical advances, saysMichael Dick, the carmaker’s devel-opment chief. Dick, 55, spoke withAutomobilwoche Reporter Pia Krix.

You want to expand your lineup to 40from 22 vehicles by 2015. Can youmaintain your “Vorsprung durchTechnik” (German for “Progressthrough technology”)?Certainly. We will systematically ex-pand our lineup and demonstrateour technological edge with eachnew model. So we have resolved tocontinue to improve our(quattro) all-wheel drive.

How will you improve quattro?We want to optimize the dri-ving dynamics, and increasedriving safety in the process.Our goal is to complementour electronic stability pro-gram with a specific distrib-ution of propulsive force. In thatprocess, precisely measuredamounts of engine torque are di-rected to the rear wheels to achieveoptimum road performance. In thefuture, understeering will be a for-eign concept.

When will customers benefit fromquattro’s further development?As early as next year. But all-wheeldrive is one of many issues. We are devoting ourselves inten-

sively to improving environmentalcompatibility.

But all automakers want to be moreenvironmentally friendly.We are not just concerned with en-gines, although we are quite far alongin that area. With the launch of thenew A5, all engines going into newvehicles for the first time will meetthe Euro 5 standard. In these cases,the engines are still homologated tomeet Euro 4 because the measuringprocedures for Euro 5 haven’t beenspelled out in detail yet. But we al-ready have the hardware on board.

What environmental measures areyou planning?We want to increase efficiency rightthrough the whole parameter of ve-hicle effects. The engine consumes50 percent of the energy needs of acar. To make reductions possible inthe remaining 50 percent, we aredeeply involved with weight reduc-tion and the accompanying im-provement in driving and friction re-sistance, along with intelligent ener-gy and thermal management. ANE

Q & A: Michael Dick

“We will demon-strate our techno-logical edge”

Michael Dick

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