Antonov to Use Eaton Controls for 6-Speed AT

20 April 2007

Antonov TX6 6-speed automatic transmission.

Antonov has entered into an agreement with Eaton Corporation for hydraulic transmission controls for Antonov’s TX6 six-speed automatic transmission (AT) system.

Eaton, a world leader in the development of hydraulic valves and solenoids necessary for the selection of gears in automatic transmission systems, will integrate its technology into the TX6.

Antonov recently licensed the TX6 to China’s Geely for high volume series production.  Under the production licence agreement, the manufacturer has non-exclusive worldwide rights to manufacture and sell transmissions covered by Antonov’s 6-speed automatic patents with series production anticipated to commence in 2008. (Earlier post.)

Any intellectual property rights derived from jointly-developed inventions will be allocated according to the two companies’ areas of expertise: Antonov will own the rights relating to mechanical power transmissions and Eaton will own the rights relating to hydraulic systems and controls.

We are delighted that Eaton is agreeing to commit its significant technical resources to support the TX6 program as it moves to high volume production.  China is a key market for Antonov and this agreement with Eaton will further underpin Antonov’s commercialization strategy in the region.

The automotive industry faces the major challenge of significantly reducing vehicle carbon emissions.  As existing technologies mature, it is important to seek new opportunities to innovate.  The new TX6 automatic transmission is a good example of this continuous process that has resulted in a compact automatic transmission system that virtually matches the efficiency of a manual transmission.

—John Moore, CEO of Antonov