Chrysler's New Dual-clutch Transmission to Debut in International Markets

- Fuel economy improvement and CO2 emissions reduction of 6 percent


AUBURN HILLS, Mich., April 14  /PRNewswire/ -- Chrysler's new dual-clutch
transmission -- developed in partnership with Getrag -- makes its debut this
spring. The new technology -- available in international markets on the
all-new 2009 Dodge Journey, the 2009 Dodge Avenger and the 2009 Chrysler
Sebring -- will provide consumers a fuel economy improvement and CO2 emissions
reduction of 6 percent.

"Chrysler's new dual-clutch transmission is the next step in transmission
technology, offering consumers improved fuel economy along with smoother and
quicker shifting," said Frank Klegon, Executive Vice President - Product Development. "This important new Chrysler technology is one of several initiatives we have in place to directly focus on improving fuel efficiency across our vehicle lineup."

Chrysler's commitment to dual-clutch transmission technology is part of the company's
powertrain offensive, announced last year.

Dual-clutch Transmission Technology
Chrysler's dual-clutch transmission technology improves fuel economy and CO2
emissions by reducing parasitic losses -- first, by eliminating the torque converter,
 and second, through the use of synchronizers instead of shift clutches.

In its first Chrysler LLC vehicle applications, the new dual-clutch transmission
will debut in international markets on the all-new 2009 Dodge Journey, the 2009
Dodge Avenger and the 2009 Chrysler Sebring. It will be mated to a 2.0-liter turbo
diesel engine.

The dual-clutch transmission is an automatic transmission which utilizes dual
aunch and shift clutches with a manual transmission style lay-shaft gear arrangement,
instead of a conventional torque converter and planetary gears. One clutch drives
the odd numbered gears and Reverse, while the other clutch drives the even numbered
gears. During shifts, the next gear is anticipated and pre-selected. Then one clutch
is opened while the other is closed, allowing shifting without torque interruption.
The result is quicker acceleration and refined shift quality. Further, with the
lay-shaft arrangement of gears, there is increased flexibility to optimize gear ratio
selection for performance and fuel economy.

The all-new dual-clutch transmission does not require a torque converter to transfer
engine torque to the transmission. Instead, it uses two wet multi- plate clutches.
With the wet multi-plate clutch system, the clutch components are bathed in
lubricating/cooling fluid in order to provide adequate thermal capacity.

The wet multi-plate clutch system uses hydraulic pressure to actuate the clutches
and provide for gear selection. With this system, the power flow from the engine
to the transmission is not interrupted during a shift, resulting in a power-on shift. This means that there is less torque disturbance than a conventional planetary automatic transmission with torque converter. Also, by eliminating the torque converter and reducing the number of shift clutches, parasitic losses are reduced leading to improved fuel economy.

Chrysler LLC