VW’s British division today announced the introduction of an automated manual gearbox (ASG) for the Up! city car. The new transmission, which comes with a price of GBP595 (EUR753 or $931.5) at the current exchange rates) is offered for the three- and five-door Move Up! and High up!, with the exception of the BlueMotion Technology versions.
The new gearbox promises to offer enhanced fuel efficiency and CO2 emission figures compared to the standard manual transmission. This is basically an automated version of the standard box, offering D (Drive), N (Neutral) or R (Reverse) modes, but not also a P (Park) one. You can also change the gears yourself, but there are no paddle shifters.
The new gearbox has been optimized to be as light as possible and it only weighs 3 kg (6 lbs) more than the manual it is based on. Two electromechanical actuators are positioned directly on the transmission, handling the gate selection and engaging or disengaging the gears.
VW brags that “simplicity of the ASG gearbox makes it more efficient than a torque-converter automatic gearbox, while the lower costs make it more appropriate for a great value city car than Volkswagen’s sophisticated DSG gearbox.”
The new gearbox has been optimized to be as light as possible and it only weighs 3 kg (6 lbs) more than the manual it is based on. Two electromechanical actuators are positioned directly on the transmission, handling the gate selection and engaging or disengaging the gears.
VW brags that “simplicity of the ASG gearbox makes it more efficient than a torque-converter automatic gearbox, while the lower costs make it more appropriate for a great value city car than Volkswagen’s sophisticated DSG gearbox.”