[新聞] audi 唔再玩 CVT

buhin

Audi is set to end a 15-year dalliance with continuously variable transmissions by killing off its multitronic gearbox.

Speaking at a media event marking the 25th anniversary of the company’s first TDI diesel engine last week, development engineer Ralph Riegger said that the multitronic gearbox currently used in some front-drive Audis was making way for more efficient conventional automatics or dual-clutch automated manuals known as S-Tronic in Audi-speak.

“The multitronic is no longer going to be around,” he said.

“The S-Tronic front [wheel drive] will replace the multitronic and the S-tronic is going to exist in parallel to the eight-speed automatic [Tiptronic] transmission, so we are going to see a co-existence of the two gearboxes, that is the S-tronic and the Tiptronic.”

First cab off the rank to have its CVT replaced by a seven-speed S-tronic gearbox will be the facelifted A7 just launched in Europe.

According to Mr Riegger the multitronic continuously variable transmission, which could aid fuel consumption by keeping engine revs low as road speeds rose, has been overtaken in the efficiency stakes by geared transmissions with smarter software.

“The multitronic offered a major benefit: you were able to keep the engine speed at very low revs thanks to the transmission ratio. But now we are able to use a stepped transmission and the efficiency there is better than in comparison to a CVT,” he said.