Kia has invented a manual gearbox that uses electronic wiring in place of mechanical linkages, believed to be a world first. Not only does that make it lighter, it means the gearbox can switch off the engine while coasting but remain in-gear, which improves fuel economy by up to 3% without the driver having to alter their driving style in any way.
At the same time, driver involvement is retained, say's Kia – it will in every way feel like a standard mechanical gearbox, apparently.
While automatic gearboxes are becoming increasingly common in Europe – and standard fit on hybrid and electric cars – Kia says that manual gearboxes still make up more than half the company’s European sales. To start with, the gearbox will only be offered on 48v mild hybrid versions of the Ceed and Xceed, which use a bigger starter motor to assist the engine during driving and improve fuel economy.
“We saw a real benefit to being able to offer a manual transmission on a 48V electrified system,” said Kia’s powertrain chief Michael Winkler. “While the system does boost real-world economy, it’s not all about efficiency but comfort for drivers: the 48V system offers a smoother stop-start system, for example. The benefit for customers is they don’t have to do anything different: the system does it automatically.”
The new gearbox will be introduced later this year, and will possibly end up featuring on smaller Kia models fitted with a mild hybrid system, including the Rio, the Soul and the Picanto.
Keyword: Kia invents groundbreaking electronic manual gearbox