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Although China has been researching Automated Mechanical Transmission (AMT) for over 20 years, the research achievements are abundant. However, despite these efforts, domestic AMT R&D remains in the prototype stage and has yet to achieve industrialization. As a result, most automatic transmissions in the market are still imported from abroad. At the "Automotive AMT Industrialization Standards and Laboratory Seminar," co-organized by the Gear Professional Association and the China Association of Automotive Engineers' Gear Machining Committee, Secretary General Wang Shengtang emphasized that the industrialization of AMT in China is challenging. He stated that the purpose of the seminar is to promote the development of China's own brand AMT through the establishment of technical standards and the creation of an AMT laboratory.
The market potential for automatic transmissions is vast. According to Li Shengqi, deputy secretary-general of the association, AMT offers significant advantages over manual transmissions and is considered a key direction for automotive transmission development this century. Currently, automatic transmissions are categorized into three types: electronically controlled mechanical, continuously variable, and hydraulically or electrically controlled. AMT falls under the first category, built upon traditional mechanical transmissions with the addition of an Automatic Shift Control System (ASCS). This system uses actuators—hydraulic, pneumatic, or electric—controlled by microcontrollers, replacing human-operated clutches and shifters to enable fully automatic shifting.
Li Shengqi believes that due to its automatic shifting capability, AMT can significantly extend the life of the clutch and synchronizer while improving driving safety. It also retains the high efficiency, compact size, simple structure, reliability, ease of manufacturing, low cost, and low fuel consumption of traditional mechanical transmissions. These features make AMT particularly suitable for China’s conditions, especially given current environmental regulations and rising fuel prices. As a result, AMT has broad market prospects and is a key area of focus for research, education, and production in China’s automotive industry.
In recent years, with the rapid growth of China’s auto industry, demand for automatic transmissions has surged. In 2006 alone, the import value of car automatic transmissions reached $1.637 billion, accounting for nearly 50% of the total import value of gear products. Although no official statistics are available, industry experts estimate the figure could exceed $2 billion.
At the same time, major foreign transmission companies such as Aisin, Aida, ZF, GETRAK, and BorgWarner have invested heavily in China, building factories and establishing a strong presence in the market. As a result, China's domestic automatic transmission market is largely controlled by these international players.
Li Shengqi noted that China began AMT research as early as the 1980s, with over two decades of effort from multiple generations of researchers and engineers. They made significant progress in theoretical studies, product design, and testing, including clutch control, starting and shifting strategies, and gear actuator technologies. Some breakthroughs, like dynamic three-parameter control shifts, are at the international level. Over 20 years, more than 10 national and provincial science and technology awards were won, along with nearly 40 invention and utility model patents. The book *Theory and Design of Automatic Transmission of Vehicles* was published, and over 150 academic papers were released.
Despite these achievements, Li emphasized that China’s AMT R&D remains at the prototype stage without industrialization. According to Wang Shengtang, the reasons include technical blockades by multinational corporations, control over the supply chain, and reliance on imported parts or foreign-invested companies. Additionally, China faces challenges such as scattered resources, insufficient investment, limited road data collection, and a lack of standardized evaluation systems for AMT. There is also a lack of close collaboration between vehicle and engine manufacturers, and insufficient policy support. These factors hinder the successful industrialization of China’s own AMT technology.