SEVILLE: HORSE has started production of the new ‘DB49’ transmission at its plant in Seville, Spain.
The new transmission is the first to be designed in-house by HORSE, and can be applied to plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles.
HORSE is a division of Horse Powertrain, a joint venture between Geely, Renault and Saudi Aramco. The venture consolidates the powertrain operations of both Renault and Geely, including Renault's former subsidiary, Horse, and Geely's former subsidiary, Aurobay.
The DB49 gearbox is a clutchless, 15-speed unit, producing a maximum torque of 470Nm and a peak output of 35kW. It features two electric motors for maximum versatility across a range of driving conditions.
Weighing just 99kg, the new transmission will first feature in the plug-in hybrid models of the Renault Rafale SUV.
The new DB49 is controlled via HORSE’s Power Electronics Box (PEB), a cutting-edge integrated electronics unit. The PEB, produced at HORSE’s Aveiro plant, includes optimised hardware and software to significantly reduce the use of battery charge.
The new transmission will be produced at HORSE’s Seville plant. Employing over 1,000 technicians and engineers, HORSE Seville is the company’s main plant for hybrid transmission production – while also producing critical units for the ICE value chain. More than 60% of the plant’s output is exported.
The plant has produced transmissions for more than 60 years and built more than 32 million units over its lifetime. In 2024, HORSE Seville produced 666,670 transmissions. This includes the first generation of the plant’s hybrid gearboxes such as the DB49.
Shifting to hybrid gearbox production represented one of the biggest transformations in the plant’s history, requiring the creation of two new assembly lines and the adaptation of several machining lines.
To ensure quality control, HORSE Seville has also invested in a test bench to provide acoustic, vibrational, and functional analysis of mechanical and electronic components. The plant has also adopted a number of "data-centric" processes to streamline access to documentation, testing data, and individual unit information.
