AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — BorgWarner has signed a contract to establish a joint venture with China Automobile Development United Investment Co. (CDUI), a company owned by 12 leading Chinese automakers including FAW, SAIC, Dongfeng, Chery, ChangAn, Brilliance, Guangzhu, Changfeng, JAC, Geely, Polarsun and Great Wall Motor.
Known as BorgWarner United Transmission Systems, the joint venture will be located in Dalian, China, and will produce various dual clutch transmission modules beginning in 2011. BorgWarner holds a 66 percent majority ownership in the joint venture.
"By leading the dual clutch transmission expansion into the Chinese marketplace, this joint venture will establish BorgWarner’s DualTronic technology as the preferred automatic transmission solution in China," said Tim Manganello, BorgWarner chairman and CEO. "BorgWarner is honored to join CDUI and its 12 Chinese OEM partners in bringing the benefits of DualTronic technology — improved fuel economy, lower emissions and a dynamic yet comfortable driving experience — to the growing automatic transmission market in China."
Since BorgWarner’s DualTronic technology is based on a manual transmission architecture, it is especially attractive in China, where OEMs have a solid manual transmission infrastructure. The joint venture will allow Chinese OEMs to make the technological leap to world-leading dual clutch transmissions quickly and cost effectively, according to the company.
