German-Chinese car transmission plant operational in Wuhan

A car transmission plant built by Germany's Getrag and Chinese partner Dongfeng Motor Corp. in Wuhan has started operating.

The joint venture, Dongfeng Getrag Transmissions, plans to produce 250,000 six-speed dual clutch transmission systems annually. The partners have invested 120 million euros (136.1 million U.S. dollars) in the plant, according to a statement from Dongfeng, a state-owned automaker headquartered in the central China city of Wuhan.

Production capacity will reach 500,000 units by 2019 and one million units eventually, it added.

Aside from supplying Dongfeng, the transmission plant will supply other automakers in China, including Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen and Shanghai General Motors, said Xiong Aiguo, general manager of the joint venture.

Getrag, one of the world's largest transmission makers, has a plant in Nanchang in east China's Jiangxi province, which supplies Jiangling Motor Group Co., a state-owned producer of light commercial vehicles. Getrag signed the joint venture agreement with Dongfeng in October 2012.

Dongfeng makes cars and trucks under its own brand. It also has passenger car joint ventures with Honda Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp. and PSA Peugeot Citroen. Endi