28 April 2008

ZF is to supply Nissan with six-speed automatic transmissions for a new light commercial vehicle, which will be designed and built specifically for the North American market.

 

The transmissions will be produced by ZF's plant at Gainesville, Georgia, and supplied to Nissan in Canton, Mississippi. The start of production is planned for the first half of 2010.

 

This will be the first automatic transmission produced by ZF directly in North America. The Gainesville plant has been supplying the automotive and off-highway industries since 1987. Since then, more than one million manual transmissions for light commercial vehicles have been produced there.

Wolfgang Vogel, ZF board member and group executive of the commercial vehicle and special driveline technology division, said: "The order from Nissan is a major success for ZF and confirms our strategy to intensify business with Japanese automakers.”

With 320 employees, ZF manufactures axle drives for passenger cars and light trucks at Gainesville as well as transmissions and axles for off-highway vehicles and construction machinery for customers inclucing Ford, GM, Mercedes-Benz.