Ever since it was at the center of the biggest scandal in the history of the auto industry, German carmaker Volkswagen has been trying to make amends. From full-electric vehicles to new transmissions, all is on the table for the company.
Volkswagen’s transformation is fueled, especially in Europe, by the ever more stringent emission rules. The Old Continent has a scheme in place that will tighten the noose even further over the coming years, forcing carmakers to come up with innovative solutions to meet the new requirements and be able to sell cars.
For the Germans, one such solution is a brand new manual gearbox that will make its market debut on the Passat. Called MQ281, the unit is said to be able to provide a reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 5 grams/km, depending on the engine choice, and a torque spectrum between 200 and 340 Nm.
That should make it potent enough, say the Germans, to be able to replace at least in part the current manual transmissions, known internally as MQ250 and MQ350.
Production of the gearbox is already underway at the group’s facilities in Barcelona (Spain) and Córdoba (Argentina). Following the market entry in the Passat, the unit will be used on more of the group’s cars.
“With the MQ281, we have developed a highly efficient manual gearbox that reliably meets these demands – and is soon to be introduced into a number of vehicle classes in the volume segment,” said in a statement Helmut Göbbels, Volkswagen head of manual gearbox.
The new Passat is already available for order in Europe, for prices starting at €34,720 for the Passat sedan with a manual and a 1.6-liter engine. At the opposite end, the Alltrack 2.0 BiTDI will set customer back €50,795.
In all, there are five engines available, only two of them fueled by gasoline.
For the Germans, one such solution is a brand new manual gearbox that will make its market debut on the Passat. Called MQ281, the unit is said to be able to provide a reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 5 grams/km, depending on the engine choice, and a torque spectrum between 200 and 340 Nm.
That should make it potent enough, say the Germans, to be able to replace at least in part the current manual transmissions, known internally as MQ250 and MQ350.
Production of the gearbox is already underway at the group’s facilities in Barcelona (Spain) and Córdoba (Argentina). Following the market entry in the Passat, the unit will be used on more of the group’s cars.
“With the MQ281, we have developed a highly efficient manual gearbox that reliably meets these demands – and is soon to be introduced into a number of vehicle classes in the volume segment,” said in a statement Helmut Göbbels, Volkswagen head of manual gearbox.
The new Passat is already available for order in Europe, for prices starting at €34,720 for the Passat sedan with a manual and a 1.6-liter engine. At the opposite end, the Alltrack 2.0 BiTDI will set customer back €50,795.
In all, there are five engines available, only two of them fueled by gasoline.