Double-clutch transmissions graduate to the world of commercial trucks

Dual-clutch transmissions have become increasingly popular in small cars and have even appeared in high-performance machines like the Porsche 911 and Bugatti Veyron. Now, Mitsubishi Fuso has become the first commercial truck maker to offer one of these fancy new gearboxes in a hauler.

The new six-speed M038S6 "Duonic transmission" features wet clutches and incorporates the ability to creep in traffic for smoother operation. Although Duonic-equipped trucks will probably be driven mostly in fully-automatic mode, the transmission can also be manually shifted. Mitsubishi Fuso is 85-percent owned by Daimler, with the remainder being held by Mitsubishi.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/01/d...of-commercial/

 

Very interesting. I was just having a discussion this morning on trucks used for hauling and manual transmissions.

 

When the 13-speed Road Ranger is replaced by a set of paddle shifters on 18-wheelers, the supercar mystique of the dual-clutch transmission is truly done.

 

Wow, just think of the durability that had to be engineered in.