ZF wins major business for new 8-speed automatic transmission

The business is planned to run over a period of several years. The latest version of ZF’s 8-speed transmission – a technology which has been production since 2009 – has been optimised by integrating an electric drive; this also includes a hybrid variant. The new transmission generation will start series production in 2022 at ZF’s plant in Saarbrücken, the lead production facility for ZF’s automatic passenger car transmissions. The company also plans to start production of the technology at further locations including the USA and China in the future. "This business win is the largest single order in the history of ZF," says ZF’s CEO Wolf-Henning Scheider, in a press release. "When it comes to the electrification of passenger cars, in addition to pure electric drives, it confirms our strategy to focus on plug-in hybrids as an every-day solution and to develop attractive products in these areas.” "We have consistently optimized our 8-speed automatic transmission according to future e-mobility requirements,” says Michael Hankel, member of the ZF Board of Management responsible transmission technology and e-mobility. "With a modular construction using various starting elements, the new generation hybrid transmission offers a flexible solution which is suitable for all passenger cars – both conventional as well as electric.”