Volkswagen readying new 10-speed DSG automatic transmission

Volkswagen development boss Hans-Jakob Neusser has revealed limited details of a new 10-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox as part of a presentation on future driveline technology at the annual Vienna motor symposium in Austria.

The advanced dual-clutch gearbox, first hinted at by Volkswagen boss Martin Winterkorn at last year’s Vienna motor symposium, is planned to be used in both transverse and longitudinal engine applications, indicating that it will eventually be used in a wide range of models.

Described as a key development in Volkswagen’s efforts to boot the efficiency of future models by up to 15 per cent by 2020, the new 10-speed transmission has been conceived as a successor to Volkswagen’s existing six-speed unit used in more powerful Volkswagen models.

Although he refrained from confirming when it was planned to go into production, Neusser confirmed the new unit is being developed to handle torque loads of up to 369lb ft.

As well as revealing details of the new gearbox, VW's development boss also confirmed that a new 236bhp twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, unveiled at the Vienna symposium, would be offered among a range of powerplants on the upcoming eighth-generation Passat due out later this year.