Chrysler looks at Fiat gearbox

CHICAGO--A new Fiat six-speed transmission, called the G365, could provide Chrysler with the dual-clutch transmission it lost when its partnership with Getrag in Indiana collapsed last year.

A dual-clutch transmission offers the fuel economy of a manual transmission with the ease of operation of an automatic.

Fiat has been working on a small dual-clutch transmission, Frank Klegon, Chrysler LLC's executive vice president of product development, said in an interview last week at the Chicago Auto Show.

Chrysler could use such a transmission, he said.

Klegon stressed that engines and transmissions were part of larger discussions Chrysler and Fiat S.p.A. are having as part of Chrysler's viability plan it will deliver to the U.S. Treasury Department this week. Under an alliance announced last month, the Italian automaker would take a 35 percent stake in Chrysler.

Chrysler had planned to source a dual-clutch transmission from a joint venture with Getrag. But that deal collapsed last fall after Chrysler sued Getrag, claiming that the German transmission maker's funding for the venture was inadequate.

The Fiat transmission will come in three variants: a manual, an automated manual, and a dual-clutch. The manual version will debut in Europe in June, the dual-clutch version at year end, and the automated manual in the first half of 2010.

(Source: Automotive News)