Jaguar Land Rover to pump £2.75 billion into innovation, after showing world's first 9-speed automatic transmission in range rover evoque

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Published: 5 March 2013

Jaguar Land Rover is showcasing its latest plans for further investment in technology and innovation at the Geneva Motor Show.
The British car manufacturer says it will reinforce its commitment to manufacturing in the UK by increasing the investment in its new Engine Manufacturing Centre to more than £500 million. This will almost double the number of highly skilled engineering and manufacturing jobs at the plant, taking the total number of people who will be employed at the site to almost 1,400.

Range Rover Evoque 9 Speed Transmission

Jaguar Land Rover's new Engine Manufacturing Centre in the UK is essential to support the company's long-term strategic growth plans and will be the home for a new generation of technologically advanced, lightweight 4-cylinder low emission diesel and petrol engines.

The new Engine Manufacturing Centre will open later this year with the first engines coming off the production line in 2015.

Range Rover Evoque 9 Speed Transmission

The company aims to invest £2.75 billion in product development which will support the launch of eight new innovative products to help achieve its business growth strategy. These include the Jaguar F-TYPE and the introduction of the world's first nine-speed gearbox in its Land Rover product line-up.

The news comes as Land Rover is currently demonstrating the latest in a long line of technical firsts at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show with the announcement of the world's first 9-speed automatic transmission for a passenger car.

Range Rover Evoque 9 Speed Transmission

The ZF 9HP transmission is specifically designed for transverse applications, and is one of the most efficient and technically advanced transmissions ever used in a production vehicle.

As the lead partner on the project, Land Rover is working with ZF which is widely recognised as a world leader in transmission technology.

Range Rover Evoque 9 Speed Transmission

With extremely fast gear changes described by ZF as being 'below the threshold of perception', the 9HP is not only highly responsive but versatile too. Whereas the existing six-speed transmission makes shifts sequentially, the 9HP has a skip-shift function for much swifter downshifting under rapid deceleration or from greater driver demands. The torque converter incorporates a multi-stage damper system for smoother pulling away and improved refinement.

"We are extremely excited about the 9HP which has been tailored exactly to dovetail with the unique attributes of our vehicles. It will add another layer of performance, refinement and efficiency, further enhancing Land Rover's world class abilities," explained John Edwards, Land Rover's Global Brand Director.

Range Rover Evoque 9 Speed Transmission

The innovative adaptive shifting system matches the driver's mood within seconds, sharpening up during brisk driving then slipping seamlessly into a more economical regime just as quickly when taking a more relaxed approach. Curve Mode, longitudinal acceleration and pedal position all control upshift prevention.

Fast-Off mode measures the rate of throttle release, anticipates further requests by the driver for high power, then holds the gear if necessary. If the driver requests a downshift when the vehicle is travelling too fast, the transmission will remember the request and make the shift when the speed drops to an appropriate level.

Range Rover Evoque 9 Speed Transmission

The 9HP is a masterpiece of packaging and despite the extra three gear ratios is only 6mm longer and weighs 7.5kg less than the outgoing six-speed transmission. The small package space is achieved by a number of innovative design features including a new hydraulic vane-type pump, which also contributes to improved efficiency, two patented dog clutches replacing bulkier conventional clutch packs, and an Intelligently Nested gear set.