The automatic transmission is already standard in most German cars.
The step now decided by VW is primarily intended to save costs and promote the electric car.
Munich - A time of great upheaval is approaching for German car manufacturers.
The main focus is on switching to electromobility.
Volkswagen * is now announcing that it will only offer automatic transmissions for vehicles with internal combustion engines.
The classic manual gearshift is about to end.
As reported by the magazine
auto motor und sport
, the coming generations of the Tiguan and Passat SUVs (from 2023) will be able to manage without manual gearshifts and will be completely converted to automatic transmissions.
According to the report, the other model series from the VW range will then follow.
VW: "Customers want the convenience of an automatic transmission"
The radical cut would save VW high costs for the further development of manual transmission technology.
In the majority of all models offered in Germany, the automatic transmission is already installed, the report continues.
The same applies to vehicles from other German brands such as BMW * or Daimler *.
As a VW spokesman told
Spiegel
, “more and more customers want the convenience of an automatic transmission.” Volkswagen would also follow this trend and thus “increasingly offer its high-performance dual clutch transmission (DSG) as standard in many models.
This not only increases comfort, the optimal choice of switching points has a positive effect on consumption. "
VW: An important step towards electromobility
The automatic transmission is already standard in large sedans or SUVs.
Eight- to nine-speed transmissions are common here, which are difficult to switch manually.
At the same time, the automatic transmission can, in some cases, significantly reduce fuel consumption through the use of intelligent assistance systems.
So little will change in the premium segment.
Fans of small and compact cars can still look forward to the change in a relaxed manner.
According to VW, gearboxes with manual transmission are to be installed in the low-price segment by the end of the decade.
For VW, the change means a further step on the way to the complete changeover of the product range to electromobility.
Electric cars currently only need one single gearbox - so it is only a matter of time before the multi-speed gearbox as a whole is on the brink of extinction.
* Merkur.de is part of IPPEN-MEDIA
