DDCT gearbox to be introduced

Just came across a news. Posting for everyone's info. If any one has an updated news on the same. Please share.

http://www.motorcruze.com/2015/12/04/fiats-new-c635-ddct-gearbox-to-be-introduced-in-india/

 

Its about time that the automatic variant of FIAT cars be made available in India because the market is clearly showing trend towards this. A right decision and direction because their DuaLogic transmission (AMT) would not have done justice to the sportiness of FIAT.


Now image the T-Jet or a 1.5 Multijet with this transmission ...

 

It can work wonders with current engine too...the shifting happens faster than human inputs.

 

@asimpleson, automatic transmissions work better on torquey engines. So that eliminates the 1.2 and 1.4 FIRE engines. Ford for example, does provide the PowerShift DCT on their 1.5 TiVCT engines in India (figo aspire, global fiesta), but the performance is not very sporty as per reviews. People report the delay in shifting because the ecu has to downshift sometimes two gears to get to sufficient torque at full throttle demand..

 

It is doubtful they'll launch the ddct on the current cars except perhaps on the Abarths next year. Very likely for the 2017 new launches, including the Jeep(s), as an option, though.

DDCT's have a lot of bad press especially in the USA: people keep reporting (e.g., with Ford's Powershift) low speed jerkiness etc and worse. Likewise the ddct on the American 500L was greatly rejected by the market. It will be tricky to get it, a well-proven and well-liked transmission in Europe, accepted in India, esp for FIAT, imo Better they first offer it on the Abarth-s only and thereby establish it before launching it especially on the diesels, as well, on the all-new models in 2017+.

Matters will be greatly helped by Maruti suzuki and/or Tata deciding to deploy the ddct too, like they are the Magneti marelli amt, on their more-expensive models. Suzuki Europe is offering the ddct on the 1.6 mjd2 on the SCross well before it's being offered on any FIAT (the Aegea and the 500X will offer it soon as an option, apparently, on the diesels too and not just the t-jet multiairs).

 

@RaviInTfi, I am unaware about the torque needs for automatic and their co-relation to driving ease. Performance mind you is a very different topic and very debatable since we are not having high bhp cars to compare those and we are strictly discussing regular passenger needs here, not the enthusiast. But I assume you mean to say acceptable performance or as @prabhjot says issues related to jerkiness etc. To further elaborate what I meant is the ECU and gearbox ECM? ECU? can be tuned to make it extremely responsive to user errors. Afterall that is indeed what automatics have to compensate for. Constant measures of acceleration and braking and guessing driver's needs.

 

The Compass 1.4 t-jet multiair 160 hp will be offered in India with the 7-speed DDCT.

So the ddct did finally make it to India, as the thread title suggested back then, from fca: only on a Jeep not a FIAT (just as i had posted earlier/then: for the obvious 'economic' reasons.)

 

American standards are different from Indian users. If the jerky AMT transmissions can be sold, the DCT is fine. I think DDCT will do well in India.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-dodge-dart-14t-ddct-test-review

The Dodge Dart weighs 1514 kg according to the review and so should work well with the Jeep as well in India a going by the review comments.

One can only hope that FIAT can plonk it into the Punto T-Jet and will the Linea T-jet for another 50K. It would be a good sell

 

The ddct is a dual clutch amt, with 'learning', 'adaptive' software depending on driving style etc. i.e., it will be jerky at times until it adjusts to the driving and drier's style, and will in any case at some (usually low speed, in traffic) scenarios, however being much much faster and theefore 'smoother' esp when given revs and speedups, also being very fuel efficient. I'd imagine the 1.4 t-jet multiair + ddct ought to, all else being equal, be very similar to the Linea t-jet manual. imo FCA ought to delay or even altogether avoid the turbopetrol manual on te Compass (they can offer it on the next Jeep, the Renegade in early 2019?) On the Compass the fuel efficiency might prove a tad too low for Indian tastes, HOWEVER much financial sense it might make otherwise!

@RavilnTfi