JaguarLandRover (JLR) will
not be the only European passenger car maker to offer a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Daimler in Germany is working on one too that will appear first in its AMG
offering and other large cars.
Daimler’s
Mercedes transmission plant at Stuttgart Untertuekheim is currently the scene
of much activity as some of the latest machine tools are being put in place
ready for the start of production.
All the
machines delivered to the plant have passed pre-acceptance trials in vendors’ plants. The implication
is that they have achieved both quality and cycle time criteria for one of the Europe’s
most demanding customers.
