CVT to propel Kia as world-leading automaker

Hyun Cheol Kim, a member of Kia’s Automatic Transmission Design Team in charge of developing the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) that was used in the Forte LPI hybrid, says CVT will help propel Kia’s status as a world-leading automaker. “We have to look beyond the technologies of peers and come up with the most creative ideas and new technologies in order to survive in today’s era of cut-throat competition,” said Kim. “In particular, instead of using a dual mass flywheel (DMF) and two clutches like rival automakers, we secured superior shift quality by employing a single mass flywheel (SMF) and one clutch, a sure sign of our world-class technology,” he said in an interview. (October 25, 2009)