Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics, stressed, “Today we have exceeded the mark of three million DQ200 transmissions produced. This production milestone shows that even seven years after their market launch, our gearboxes are still state of the art and in demand across the entire group. At the same time, this success demonstrates our Vrchlabí-based team’s high level of technological expertise in impressive style. I’m convinced that we’ll achieve further production milestones together here in the future.”
Ivan Slimák, Vrchlabí Plant Manager, added, “The great success of our DQ200 automatic direct-shift gearbox goes hand in hand with the successful transformation of the Vrchlabí plant in 2012. We have been consistently pressing ahead with the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies. They ensure the highest possible manufacturing precision at all times, even during complex production steps such as the insertion of a bonded piston.”
The elaborately designed DQ200 automatic direct-shift gearbox (DSG) is used in numerous ŠKODA model ranges as well as other Volkswagen Group vehicles. Whilst ŠKODA AUTO uses 38 per cent of the units produced in Vrchlabí itself, 62 per cent are fitted in cars made by other Volkswagen Group brands. ŠKODA AUTO ships well over half of the transmissions to Germany; other customers include factories in India, Poland, Russia, Spain, South Africa and Hungary.