Chungcheongnam-do

GM Daewoo operates a hydra-matic 6-speed auto transmission manufacturing facility in the Boryeong Powertrain Plant. This plant is currently capable of producing up to 300,000 6-speed automatic transmissions along with 250,000 4-speed automatic transmissions annually. The new 6-speed automatic transmission adopts the technology of ‘Clutch-to-Clutch’ operation design and the internal Transmission Electro-Hydraulic Control Module(TEHCM) mounted inside the transmission.

GM Daewoo Applies a new 6-Speed Automatic Transmission for Compact Car
Michael A. Grimaldi, CEO of GM Daewoo, said “GM Daewoo will leapfrog in the total production capacity of 6-speed auto transmissions from 300,000 to 600,000 per year by 2010.” and “GM Daewoo is to extend this state-of-the-art auto transmis- sion of Tosca Premium 6 to the next generation Lacetti.”
There are 2 kinds of 6-speed transmission: the 6T40 for inline 6 cylinders gasoline engines and the 6T45 for higher-torque diesel engines. According to explanations of the company, the transmission was developed to meet the 322,000-kilometer durability target, which is as high as double other conventional transmissions. The first model to adopt this new transmission is Tosca Premium 6.
Byeong-jip Kim, Executive Director of R&D for GM Daewoo, emphasized that “The new 6-speed transmission improved both fuel economy and performance of car, especially in start and acceleration, because the wide 6.14:1 overall ratio of gear enables cars to be easily changed in speed.

GM will Remain as the Predominent Market Leader among Exporters to Europe
As for the Tosca Premium 6 model with 6-speed automatic transmissions and 2.5 liter engine, when it is constantly driven at 90~120 km/h, it showed 15% of improvement in fuel economy compared to that of a car with 5-speed transmission. Additionally, the transmission in the steep lower gear improved 0-40km/h and 0-60km/h performance by up to 10 %.
Grimaldi, CEO of GM Daewoo, said “GM Daewoo launched the Tosca Premium model with the hydra-matic 6-speed auto transmission in the EU market in last March. GM Daewoo was the largest maker that exported over 419,000 complete vehicles to Europe. And GM Daewoo will keep the fame as the No.1 car maker in this market.”

Why Do Car Makers Adopt 6-Speed Auto Transmissions in Intermediate and Small Vehicles
Transmission is an assembly of parts that prepares several gears and provides a proper gear in a given situation for the engine to output optimal power. Therefore a gear system with more steps of gear means a car can select more efficient ranges of power through that system. There is another reason for multi-steps of a transmission and it to reduce the shock caused by changes of speed.
It is common to make 4 or 5 speed transmissions through existing gear box type of production. But, it is not so easy to make auto transmission with more steps because an auto transmission over 6-speed usually surpasses the capacity of a car design in size and weight. GM Daewoo overcame this limitation and invented a state-of-the-art transmission that decreased in size and the number of parts compared to those of existing transmissions.

The Goal of GM Daewoo to be the World-Best Center Both in R&D and Manufacturing of Auto Transmission
The 205,000m² Boryeong Plant, including modification & assembly, die-casting, mould-making and press lines, also has a R&D Center equipped with the most advanced facilities for transmission design, test and calibration. GM Daewoo have developed interests in auto transmission for a long time and invented new transmissions like the CVT in Matiz and the Hydra-matic 6-speed auto transmissions in Tosca Premium 6. And there is high expectancy that GM Daewoo will invent more than 8-speed auto transmission for the first time across the country in near future.

Michael A. Grimaldi, CEO of GM Daewoo
Mr. Grimaldi, CEO of GM Daewoo, said, “GM Daewoo, on the basis of the successful mass production of the state-of-the-art hydra-matic auto transmission, will leapfrog the total production capacity from 300,000 to 600,000 per year by 2010.” and he added, “GM Daewoo will apply this new auto transmission to the next generation model of Lacetti.” And he stressed, “The new Toscana Premium 6 will be exported to Europe in the middle of 2008 and GM Daewoo will keep the fame as the No. 1 market leader that exported 419,000 cars to Europe in 2007.”