Adoption of Dual-Clutch Transmissions Lags in U.S.

Dual-clutch transmissions, long been popular in Europe, have been slow to catch on with American consumers.

Such gearboxes can improve fuel economy as much as a 10% compared with conventional automatics. But quality and performance issues have stymied growth in the U.S., Automotive News reports.

The newspaper estimates that less than 4% (about 600,000 units) of passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. this year will be equipped with dual-clutch transmissions. Installations are expected to inch up to 5% of the market (885,000 units) by 2020, AN says, citing a recent forecast by IHS Automotive.

Dual-clutch transmissions employ two gearboxes. One shifts odd numbered gears and one controls even gears. This allows for quicker, more efficient shifting and eliminates the need for a torque converter.

But dual clutches also shift more harshly, AN notes. While Europeans are accustomed to this with manual transmissions, it can be a big adjustment for American drivers.

Volkswagen launched the first mass-market dual-clutch transmission in the U.S. in 2003. Since then Fiat Chrysler, Ford, Honda and others have joined in, and all have been inundated with complaints about the technology. Beyond herky-jerky low-speed shifts, there also have several lawsuits against Ford, in which vehicle owners allege the transmissions repeatedly broke down.

Ford says it has made a variety of hardware and software improvements, including a “customer satisfaction” program earlier this year to enhance the transmission control module. Other carmakers also have made improvements. Honda, for example, added a torque converter to help improve the smoothness of its dual-clutch technology. But AN notes there have been dozens of complaints to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the Honda system since the change was made.  

At the same time, carmakers continue to improve the efficiency of conventional automatic transmissions—including new eight- and nine-speed gearboxes—as well as continuously variable systems, with no sacrifice in performance.

Although these gearboxes also have scored relatively low in recent customer satisfaction surveys, they appear to have more of an immediate upside than dual-clutch systems, AN says. It notes that Fiat Chrysler, which at one time targeted output of 700,000 dual-clutch transmissions annually in the U.S., has virtually abandoned those plans.