Saturn Launches the VUE - On Cars - Brief Article - Product Announcement

Automotive Design & Production,  Dec, 2001  by Gary S. Vasilash

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The VTi has three major components in line with the engine crankshaft in a three-axis layout. There is an electronically controlled torque converter supplied by LuK, a forward-reverse clutch and planetary gear set, and the input pulley on one axis. There is the output pulley on the second axis. And the final drive differential linked to the output pulley with a pair of transfer gears is the third. Overall, the unit is said to be one of the most compact automatic transmissions available (it is comparable in size to a five-speed manual with similar torque capabilities); compact size is important not only in terms of body design, but also because the VUE is offered with all-wheel-drive, which means there are additional components that need to be accommodated under the hood.

One of the things that makes the VTi effective is the powertrain electronics. There is an electronically controlled throttle that works in combination with a torque converter clutch so there is good response without buzzing and busyness. What's more, the transmission's performance can be modified through software changes, not mechanical changes, so there is the possibility of using the VTi in other applications without the penalty associated with having to manufacture new components. (The CVT program actually was underway for a European vehicle when the VUE program came to the fore. Look for the use of CVTs in other GM vehicles in the not-too-distant future.)

While there are driver benefits like no shift points and an estimated 8% improvement in fuel efficiency compared with a four-speed automatic transmission, there is a manufacturing benefit, as well: there are 45% fewer parts in the VTi than there are in a four-speed automatic. (This transmission, incidentally, is produced at a GM Opel plant in Szentgotthard, Hungary.)

The VUE is available with an on-demand all-wheel-drive system. Ordinarily, the vehicle runs in a front-wheel drive mode, but if wheel slippage is detected, power is automatically delivered to the rear wheels. (Like offerings from Honda and Toyota, the VUE is not meant to be a vehicle for serious off-roading.)

Changes.

As noted, the VUE is being produced at Saturn's original site in Spring Hill, where a 445,000-[ft.sup.2] addition was put on the Powertrain building for the production of the 2.2-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine that is available for the VUE (as is a 3.0-liter V6. And while on the subject of powertrain, the VTi is available on the four-cylinder engine in both front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive setups; there is a five-speed manual available for the four, as well; there is a five-speed automatic for the V6.). Spring Hill is where the S-Series cars are built. There are now two lines in General Assembly, one for the cars and one for the VUEs. The Paint Shop handles panels for both vehicles (realize that in the case of the Saturn, the entire vehicle doesn't go through paint; the exterior panels--both steel and polymer--are painted as a set on moving fixtures that move through the paint booths).