Hyundai to supply six-speed automatic transmissions for the 2013 Dodge Dart
By Andrew, 20 Jan, 2012. 0 Comments
2013 Dodge Dart
Hyundai Motor America will supply six-speed automatic transmissions for Chrysler’s new Dodge Dart, CEO John Krafcik confirmed. It’s not unusual for an automaker to get parts from an outside supplier but what has piqued everyone’s curiosity is how Chrysler and Hyundai are coming together so soon after the recent split of the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA), a joint manufacturing venture that the two had with Mitsubishi.
But then, it’s actually not so difficult to understand as the Dart’s updated 2.0- and 2.4-liter engines, which use the six-speed automatic, have a close similarity to engines that Hyundai still uses. For instance, the Hyundai Sonata uses a turbocharged 2.0 and a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter. These two had evolved from the GEMA program. There are speculations that Chrysler had to quickly source a pile of six-speed autos due to fuel economy.
The four-speed units paired with the old versions of these engines wouldn’t be satisfactory and so it decided to go with the Hyundai transmission, which would easily link up with the engines. Chrysler isn’t confirming the purchase deal and Hyundai hasn’t talked about any specific details about what transmission will be sold to Chrysler. One of the theories is that Chrysler is having difficulty with final calibrations of the Hyundai gearbox. It’s therefore interesting how Chrysler arrived at the Dart’s “unadjusted combined fuel-economy rating” of 40 mpg. This is a stingy figure that is actually one of the metrics required to trigger Fiat’s recent automatic 5% ownership increase in Chrysler. [source: Caranddriver]
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