”Stricter legislation and increased environmental awareness among drivers, including those in China, are driving a radical rethink in the industry. There is a growing focus on hybrid drives, specifically in the new transmission category called DHT or Dedicated Hybrid Transmission, a concept developed specially for use in hybrid drives,” explained symposium chair Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ferit Küçükay (director of the Institute of Automotive Engineering, TU Braunschweig) at the beginning of the 5th CTI Symposium ’Automotive Transmissions, Hybrid & Electric Drives’ in Shanghai.

The central issues at the conference (September 21-23) included how to achieve lower costs, higher efficiency and greater comfort, CO2 reduction strategies, integration, connectivity, and the impact of automated driving on transmissions. Around 570 auto industry experts from Asia, Europe and the USA attended the symposium, which is the Chinese sister event to the Berlin Symposium, the world’s foremost get-together for the transmissions industry.

Against this backdrop, Sylvia Zenzinger, managing director, CTI Transmission Symposia Europe, USA and China, gave an upbeat summary, "With 570 participants from 17 nations, many of them frequent attendees, and 70% of participants from China, there is no doubt that the CTI Symposium China has become an acknowledged exchange platform for national and international players in the automobile industry.”

The topics selected were particulary relevant for China, and were presented in a total of 64 specialist talks in 8 sessions, as well as in the plenum lectures and podium discussion. Hot topics included the new transmission concept Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT), DCT and CVT, clutches, transmissions and components for New Energy Vehicle (NEV), on-demand actuation, lubrication, functional development, calibration, and technologies for the commercial vehicle sector. The flanking exhibition 'Transmission Expo' also played an important role in the discussion, with innovative products and technology from 47 transmission manufacturers and suppliers on show.