Luxury Geely GE car to use DSI transmission

Shanghai, June 30 (Gasgoo.com) Geely Holding Group chairman Li Shufu recently said that the company's all models with engines of 1.5 liters and more, including the luxury Geely GE model, will be equipped with the DSI transmission, sina.com said today. Geely will start making the newly acquired DSI transmission next year.

Chinese automaker Geely bought Australia's Drivetrain Systems International (DSI), the world's second largest automatic transmission producer, for A$70 million ($55.83 million) in earlier this year, and will produce 200,000 sets of the DSI transmission annually within two years after starting its production in mid-2010.

Geely is planning the DSI transmission manufacturing factory. The China-made DSI product will equip Geely's luxury GE cars and all other models with the engine size above 1.5 liters, and will supply other automakers such as Ford, Ssangyong and India's car companies. Some Chinese automakers are also interested in the DSI transmission.

Geely's board chairman Li Shufu said the DSI acquisition was a win-win deal. "China's booming auto market will soon extricate DSI from the present difficult position. Meanwhile, DSI's strength on design and manufacture of automatic transmission will advance Geely's core competitiveness," he said.

Currently, Chinese companies have no independent capability to design and make auto transmissions, and therefore the DSI transmission is a good choice in terms of price. Geely is trying to explore a wider market for DSI products, Li added.

Geely has created three sub-brands: entry-level Gleagle, mainstream Emgrand (Dihao), and premium Shanghai Englon (Yinglun) which includes the controversial Geely GE, a Rolls-Royce Phantom-like luxury model.