Driveline expert GKN recently increased its all-wheel drive (AWD) production footprint in Mexico. GKN Driveline’s senior director, global AWD, Ed Kwon, explains the reasons for this investment, market prospects for AWD and opportunities that alternative powertrains bring.
Demand for AWD cars has grown significantly over the past decade. Why is that? And where do you see the fastest rate of growth?
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AWD not only provides confidence in vehicle control in inclement weather or road conditions, but the public is beginning to realise that it provides better vehicle dynamics and assured footing in all conditions. The added traction and assurance that AWD offers are key elements that the public is coming to expect from the OEMs. We predict further growth in the North American market, and globally, where the popularity of crossovers and SUVs remain strong.
In terms of the overall AWD market, where do you see that going? And what sort of growth do you see for the North American market and what difference will your new Mexican plant make?
The overall AWD market will continue to grow globally, with a large proportion of that growth expected to be in the North American market. The increase of our AWD production footprint in Mexico will give GKN the ability to support the growth of AWD vehicles in the NA market, providing OEM customers in the regions where they will build these vehicles.
To further support the growth of our AWD business in the Americas, we have also added production capacity of Final Drive Units in the US, manufacturing the Twinster in the region for the first time for US manufactured vehicles.
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By GlobalDataWhat do you see as the next major fuel economy saving you can make in AWD?
AWD Disconnect systems have made a great contribution towards reducing the fuel consumption typically associated with AWD vehicles. It truly allows the end user to enjoy the benefits of AWD while minimizing the associated fuel consumption penalties by responding automatically to road conditions and driver inputs to switch between two-wheel drive and AWD. GKN’s Disconnect technology features on a range of vehicles, including the Range Rover Evoque, Jeep Renegade, Fiat 500X and Cadillac XT5 and consumers are beginning to expect this functionality.
What presents a step change in fuel savings is eAWD, where the engine typically drives the front axles and an e-machine drives the rear axle, with the two power sources blending through the road. This typically produces a 30% to 40% fuel saving on conventional AWD systems as the eAxles enables complete decouplng of the engine from the driveshaft so that it can “sail” in electric mode. By removing the usual losses associated with automatic transmissions regeneration is also higher.
GKN has focused on development of eAxle hybrids from the outset. The company has been building on its leadership in all-wheel drive and driveline systems integration. It has delivered eAxles for a series of game-changing vehicles: the Mitsubishi Outlander, the Porsche 918 Spyder, the BMW i8, BMW 2 Series Active Tourer and vehicles under Volvo’s new SPA platform, including the XC90 and S90.
Do you think the forthcoming World Light Duty Test Procedure and Cycle (WLTP and WLTC) will have an effect on AWD?
The more realistic test cycle and the stricter controls on the test procedure will change the way that automakers optimize their vehicle’s fuel efficiency. A focus on delivering a mix of real-world fuel savings and more dynamics definitely suits GKN technologies better than before.
If you were to take current vehicles and simply retest them tomorrow, you would see the same approximate 10% plus/minus spread in the results for all-wheel drive vehicles as for the entire fleet. For the complete all-wheel drive systems that GKN supplies and integrates for automakers, the CO2 is even better. That’s because we have tighter mechanical integration that saves weight and we have disconnect systems that minimise rotating losses and improve acceleration intelligently.
The main effect of WLTC is that hybrid architectures that provide eAWD will become more attractive. With fewer stops and more acceleration events at lower and medium speeds, some hybrid architectures deliver less bang for their buck: for example the CO2 savings from stop-start systems are lower.
For axle-split hybrids, particularly plug-ins, the benefits are greater because they offer consumers fuel savings and AWD. The WLTC is already encouraging automakers to take a step back and look at the complete vehicle and its efficiency.
How will alternative powertrains affect the types of your AWD design?
The remainder of this interview is available on just-auto’s Global 4WD and AWD light vehicle market – forecasts to 2030
