Jatco Gears Up CVT Technology
Nissan Motor Co. affiliate Jatco Ltd. is expanding the use of its D-step gear-shift simulation technology to most of its continuously variable transmissions.
Nissan Motor Co. affiliate Jatco Ltd. is expanding the use of its D-step gear-shift simulation technology to most of its continuously variable transmissions.
Some 70% of the CVTs Jatco supplies to Nissan will include the software algorithm by the end of the decade, company officials tell WardsAuto. Jatco launched the technology in 2013 as a means to broaden the appeal of CVTs to drivers accustomed to the feel of manual transmissions.
Jatco already offers D-step CVTs on several Nissan and Infiniti models in the U.S. and select vehicles in Europe and Japan. It also provides the system for the Chevrolet Spark minicar in South Korea. It recently launched a new version with active slip control and improved fuel economy on Dongfeng Nissan’s Lanier sedan in China.
In terms of drivability, the new CVT is on par with automatic and dual-clutch transmissions, Haruhisa Nakano, Jatco’s chief product engineer, tells Wards.
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