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June 04, 2003
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This Week:

• Mercedes-Benz to Debut SLR McLaren This Fall New SLR Super Sports GT to Debut at Frankfurt Show

• The 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet is ready to hit the road in October

• Volkswagen once again leads the field in patent applications

• TABC Announces 4-Cylinder Engine Assembly - Toyota Parts Plant Expands Capabilities

• GM Recalls Some 1997-98 Pickups, SUVs, Vans

• Mille Miglia 2003: Boni and Barziza Pilot a BMW 328 to Win the Lady Trophy

• PSA Peugeot Citroën's Commitment to Fuel Cell

• Chrysler Group Announces Summer Sales Drive

• Porsche Acclaimed for Energy-Saving Compressed Air System

• The exclusive SL-Class "Mille Miglia" special-edition model takes to the stage

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Volkswagen once again leads the field in patent applications

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direct shift gearbox (DSG)  Photo: VW

Wolfsburg - In 2002 Volkswagen was once again the car maker with the highest number of published patent applications for Germany. Figures released by the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) show that Europe's largest car maker published 1,302 patent applications last year. Volkswagen was also the car maker with the highest number of patent applications in 2001. In Lower Saxony, the Group was well ahead of all other companies in 2002 - some 44 percent of all patent applications in Lower Saxony came from Wolfsburg.

Over 60 patent applications were made for the new direct shift gearbox (DSG) by the Group engineers. This gearbox changes gear so smoothly that the driver is unaware of a gear change. The six-speed gearbox combines the advantages of a conventional automatic gearbox with those of a manual gearbox: high change speed and lower fuel consumption. The DSG uses two clutches: the first clutch serves the uneven gears and the second clutch is for the even gears. While the vehicle is driven in one gear, the next gear is already engaged with the other clutch, but not activated. The gear is changed within three to four hundredths of a second without interrupting pulling power. Over 40 of the patent applications published in 2002 were concerned with efficient exhaust treatment in FSI engines. All Volkswagen FSI engines in the current line-up for the Lupo, Polo, Golf, Bora and Touran fulfil Euro 4 emissions standards.

The Volkswagen Group Research and Development Division in Wolfsburg has approximately 10,000 employees. The division has its own design centre, two climatic wind tunnels, an acoustics centre, a proving ground with a crash facility and two halls where the effects of electromagnetic waves on vehicle electronic components and systems are tested. In addition, the Research and Development Division has a testing and proving ground which covers an area of eleven square kilometres. This facility houses examples of all types of road surfaces in all possible conditions. The Group has further development capacity in Ingolstadt, in the Czech Republic, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and China. Over 20,500 members of staff throughout the Group work on the development of tomorrow's automobile technology.

(May 29, 2003)