BMW and ZF Friedrichshafen signed a multi-billion-euro supply agreement extending through the late 2030s for ZF\u2019s 8-speed automatic transmission (8HP). The deal commits both companies to continuously develop the transmission with emphasis on electrified powertrain compatibility. The agreement essentially locks in BMW\u2019s transmission sourcing for the next decade while giving ZF certainty to invest in platform evolution.<\/p>\n

The 8HP Stays Relevant<\/h3>\n

The 8HP transmission<\/a> has been a workhorse for BMW since its introduction. It\u2019s efficient, it\u2019s proven, and it\u2019s already in millions of vehicles worldwide. Rather than replace it, BMW and ZF are betting that the transmission can evolve to remain competitive through the industry\u2019s ongoing shift toward electrification.<\/p>\n

That might sound counterintuitive\u2014why develop a traditional transmission when everyone\u2019s talking about electric motors and direct drive? Because BMW is using the term \u201ctechnology openness.\u201d<\/a> Even as BMW shifts toward pure electric vehicles, the company will continue producing combustion-powered cars, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and mild hybrids for years. Those vehicles need transmissions that can handle the complexities of managing multiple power sources efficiently.<\/p>\n

The 8HP\u2019s next generation will be engineered specifically around that challenge: delivering the efficiency gains and performance needed in electrified configurations while maintaining the reliability and refinement BMW customers expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether with BMW, we are sending a strong signal for innovation, efficiency, and sustainability in an industry undergoing dynamic change,\u201d said Mathias Miedreich, CEO of ZF. \u201cThis agreement highlights the strategic importance of our 8-speed automatic transmission as a key technology for the transformation of drive systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Engineering Challenge Ahead<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Sebastian Schmitt, who heads ZF\u2019s Electrified Drive Technologies division, laid out what the 8HP\u2019s evolution actually means: three core priorities for the next-generation transmission.<\/p>\n

First, efficiency. The 8HP needs to deliver better fuel economy and lower emissions in whatever powertrain configuration it\u2019s paired with. That\u2019s always true for transmissions, but electrified drivetrains make it more critical\u2014wasted energy in a PHEV wastes both fuel and battery capacity.<\/p>\n

Second, performance. The next-generation 8HP needs to perform across different electrified architectures. A parallel hybrid powertrain works differently than a series hybrid, which works differently than a PHEV. The transmission has to be flexible enough to deliver performance gains across all those configurations.<\/p>\n

Third, long-term viability. Regulations will change. Market preferences will shift. The 8HP needs to be engineered today in a way that keeps it relevant through those changes, without requiring a complete redesign.<\/p>\n

In practical terms, this deal matters because it means BMW customers will continue getting well-engineered transmissions from a company with deep expertise and proven reliability. The 8HP is already a known quantity\u2014it works well, it\u2019s durable, and it integrates seamlessly into BMW\u2019s various powertrains.<\/p>\n

[Source: ZF]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BMW and ZF Friedrichshafen signed a multi-billion-euro supply agreement extending through the late 2030s for ZF\u2019s 8-speed automatic transmission (8HP). The deal commits both companies to continuously develop the transmission with emphasis on electrified powertrain compatibility. The agreement essentially locks in BMW\u2019s transmission sourcing for the next decade while giving ZF certainty to invest in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":84778,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=84777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84777\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/84778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=84777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=84777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=84777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}