From Tata Nano to Jaguar XFR
GKN demonstrates its broad capability on vehicle driveline solutions from the sideshafts on the ultra low-cost Tata Nano through to the sideshafts, propshafts and electronic limited slip differential on Jaguar Land Rover’s premium sports saloon, the Jaguar XFR.
GKN Drivelines’ technology will be on display (Hall 12A/Stand 9) at Auto Expo in New Delhi, January 5-11.
Tata Nano
GKN Driveline has worked in partnership with Tata to focus development on unique sideshafts for the emerging sub-mini, low-cost Nano platform.
The One Lakh (€2,000 or $2,400) Tata Nano is to provide affordable all-weather mobility for millions of Indians. Tata asked suppliers to look at all possible means of minimising cost while equipping a twenty-first century car for the people.=
GKN Driveline engineers drew on their global resources to find the right sideshaft solution for the rear-engined Tata Nano. GKN Driveline’s advanced engineering centre in France had the answer - a floating shaft design with tripod constant velocity joints to deliver the 35 brake horsepower (BHP) to the Nano’s rear wheels. The tripod solution with its innovative design meant the cost challenge could be met. The sideshaft has common inner and outer tripod joints, further reducing complexity.
Jaguar XFR
GKN Driveline has long been a major supplier to Jaguar Land Rover and the company’s new high-performance XFR sports saloon features the company’s electronic limited slip differential, or electronic torque manager (ETM) that provides the much praised, 503 BHP with unsurpassed traction and stability.
Key to improving the XFR’s driving dynamics without driver intervention, the ETM continuously adapts to both the driver’s demands and the amount of grip available at each individual wheel. The ETM performs this dynamic enhancement with a smooth and mechanically pre-emptive immediate engagement, ensuring exceptional handling poise.
GKN Driveline also supplies the propshafts that transfer power from the engine to the rear axle and the sideshafts that transfer power to the wheels.
Rob Rickell, global engineering director of GKN Driveline: “These two very different cars demonstrate the broad diversity of our products and technology. The Nano was a unique and complex challenge because of the technology and the Jaguar’s electronic torque manager, proven in premium SUVs where it delivers greatly enhanced traction both on and off road, has for the first time been used in a high-performance application with the Jaguar XFR.”
In addition, Ravinda Ojha, the managing director of GKN Driveline’s operations in India, notes that the company’s recently opened production facilities in Oragadam near Chennai in Tamil Nadu is now providing auto manufacturers in India with nearly 1.2 million sideshafts on an annual basis.
“Our business in India has grown at an annual rate of 15 percent over the past five years,” Ojha says. “Even in 2009, we should be seeing some small growth and we expect to sustain double digit growth rates over the next few years as well.
“By 2011 we have plans to create a precision forging unit in Chennai to meet our future growth requirements.”
In addition to its work on low-cost driveline systems, Ojha adds that GKN Driveline has launched a number of other innovative technologies designed to help vehicle manufacturers throughout the world reduce manufacturing costs, simplify components and lower fuel consumption and emissions.
The company’s breakthrough technologies include:
- Countertrack™ - GKN Driveline’s constant velocity joint (CVJ) technology is exciting the interest of vehicle manufacturers in Europe, North America and Asia because of its timely potential to offer space and fuel savings with greater all round efficiency. Countertrack™ gives a weight reduction of up to 29% which translates to 4.0kg saving for a typical front-wheel drive mid-size car.
- Electric axles – an early pioneer in electric axles, GKN Driveline has produced over 200,000 assemblies since 2002. The company’s sector-leading electric-drive axle technology is based on a precision single-stage reduction gearbox with an integrated differential and can be supplied with optional electromagnetic clutch.
- Direct Torque Flow technology - DTF is a new design solution to connect propeller shafts to vehicle transmissions to help automakers save weight, assembly time, space and cost.
- Face Spline technology – GKN Driveline’s patented Face Spline hub connection for CVJ sideshafts offers vehicle manufacturers a cost-saving and more efficient alternative to the traditional stem design commonly used to secure constant velocity jointed (CVJ) sideshafts to wheel-hubs. The first OEM application was launched last year 2009 with volume production scheduled to increase in 2010.
