Ashok Leyland ties-up with ZF for 9-speed transmission

Mumbai: Hinduja Group flagship Ashok Leyland has signed a collaboration agreement with ZF of Germany, world leader in transmissions, for local manufacture of ZF's 9S109 (9-speed synchromesh) gearbox. Leading commercial vehicle manufacturers in Europe, Japan and Asia, currently use ZF's 9-speed transmissions with range change features. The agreement also provides for making available to Ashok Leyland the manufacturing technology and process improvements for ZF's proposed successor to the 9S109 gearbox.

“With this agreement we have secured our transmission technology to meet higher torque requirements of the future“, commented R Seshasayee, managing director, Ashok Leyland Limited. The 9S109 gearbox offers the torque band required for Ashok Leyland's 180 hp 'H' series engine, the yet-to-be-introduced 210 hp version as also the 260 hp 'J' series engine.

Ashok Leyland's association with ZF dates back to 1981 when the first technical collaboration agreement for the manufacture of ZF 6.36 gearbox was signed followed by agreements in 1999 and 2001 for the 6.36/2 and 6S850 gearboxes. All these versions, manufactured by Ashok Leyland, have high market acceptance and together cover over 90 per cent of the company's vehicle production.