DSG – three letters that stand for supreme shift comfort, economy and sportiness. Together with staff from the Kassel factory and Prof. Werner Neubauer, member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen brand responsible for the Components division, the management of the Volkswagen factory in Kassel celebrated the one-millionth dual-clutch gearbox (DSG) last week.

The idea for the dual-clutch gearbox was perceived in motor racing. It was picked up by Volkswagen in the 1980s and has since been developed further. When the first Volkswagen DSG went into series production in 2003, it sent shockwaves through professional circles. This innovation provided a previously unknown level of shift comfort. The once clear line between automatic and manual gearboxes had been bridged, and an extraordinary level of driving dynamics achieved.

Even the customers were soon enthusing, despite all the reservation compared to conventional gearboxes. Just five years later, the DSG has, for example, a 25 percent installation rate on the VW Touran. This is also a major success for the staff at the Kassel factory, the only Volkswagen factory to produce the DSG.

In 2007 alone, more than 400,000 six-speed DSG gearboxes were installed across the Group – and there is no sign of an end to this success story. "Because of the great demand, we shall shortly be boosting our daily capacity to 1,750 units," explained General Factory Manager Dr. Hans-Helmut Becker.

Prof. Werner Neubauer added: "All around the world, our DSG gearboxes from Kassel are synonymous with sporty driving pleasure and economical fuel consumption. They successfully combine the best of two gearbox worlds. We are already on the way to the two-millionth DSG, and on the way, this modern technology will sharpen Volkswagen's global competitive edge in the field of transmission technology even further."

Jürgen Stumpf, Chairman of the Works Council at the VW factory in Kassel is also convinced by the DSG: "The competence and expertise of our staff make this cutting edge technology 'made by Kassel' possible. The DSG has now become a guarantee for job security at the factory."