New system delayed

Press, 8 November 1984, Page 24

New system delayed

CVT, or continuously variable transmission, despite earlier promises from Fiat and Ford, will not appear ' in small and medium-sized European cars this year after all. Ford and Fiat had planned to start producing CVT Fiesta and Unos this year, but it seems that another 12 months will elapse before they get on to showroom floors. Ford and Fiat are going to use the Dutch-designed Van Doorne system. Now it appears that the restructuring of the Dutch company is taking longer than was expected and the four shareholders in it — Fiat, Borg Warner, Volvo BV and the Dutch Government — have now hired a firm of business consultants to sort out a nlan; ♦hnfr will load tn macc

production by the middle of next year. Ford had planned to take over volume production of the transmission system at its Bordeaux gearbox plant in 1986, Fiat being one of the major customers of the French factory. It now remains to be seen whether the restructuring of the Dutch company, with the plan to begin mass production by mid-1985, will involve changes in Ford’s role. The multinational has already invested £BO million in the project and has four patents on the CVT, which it calls CTX, and another filed in conjunction with Van Doorne. The system provides an infinitely variable number of ratios matched to engine speed and load through two pvnandincr nnllpvs driving a

steel compression belt. Forward and reverse are selected by two multiple clutches, which also enable the car to start from rest, while ratio changing is carried out hydraulically. The system, with its stepless gearchange pattern, maintains an engine in the most fuel-efficient part of its operational range and so it should provide fuel economy and performance similar to that achieved by manual transmission systems, but with all the benefits of clutchless driving. These days, when anything new appears in the automotive world, the Japanese generally end up with a finger in the pie. Thus, it is not entirely surprising that Fuji Heavy Industries, which encompasses Subaru, is involved in this nrnipnt also.