Wabco gets long-term order to supply AMT gearboxes to Daimler Trucks

Auto components-provider Wabco Holdings Inc entered a long-term agreement to supply automated manual transmission (AMT) control technology to German truckmaker Daimler for its heavy-duty trucks mainly in Europe, North America, Japan, and South America, the company said on Tuesday.

An AMT transforms a manual gearbox into an efficient, economical automatic transmission that shifts gears and controls clutch actuation. This not only eases the driving but also trumps automatic transmission in terms of performance and fuel economy.

"Wabco AMT technology has been engineered to reduce fuel consumption consistent with the industry's most stringent standards," the company said in a statement.

Germany-headquartered Daimler Trucks is the world's largest manufacturer of trucks over six tons, and parent to five truck brands - Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, FUSO, Western Star and BharatBenz, the last one being a wholly-owned Indian subsidiary of its Daimler India Commercial Vehicles.

Wabco first introduced AMT tech in 1986 and leads in supply of AMT units to many original equipment manufacturers.

"Our industry continues to adopt automated manual transmission technology with great growth potential in the United States and all BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China - as original equipment manufacturers and fleet operators seek to increase driver comfort and safety, improve fuel economy and reduce emissions," Jorge Solis, Wabco president of truck, bus and car original equipment manufacturers division, said in a statement.