Hyundai Motor, the nation’s top automaker, launched its first “tech experience” event for the local press with its seven-speed dual clutch transmission-mounted cars at its Namyang Technology Research Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday in an effort to strengthen communication to address its technological prowess.

“The event was designed to raise public understanding of Hyundai Motor’s technological advancements,” an official from the automaker said.

The move was expected as the growth of foreign brands has accelerated in Korea for the past few years, posing a threat to the market dominance of Hyundai Motor Group. 

For the first tech promotion event, the automaker chose acceleration performance-related technology, offering participants a chance to drive four Hyundai Motor brands, loaded with its own seven-speed DCT, including the i30, i40, Veloster coupe and Accent. Attendants also drove two Volkswagen brands ― Polo and Golf ― with the DCT with seven gears for technological comparison.

Hyundai Motor unveiled its own DCT with seven gears last October at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.

“Hyundai Motor’s seven-speed DCT was developed not only to improve acceleration performance of cars but also to offer clients better fuel-efficient vehicles,” said Im Ki-bin, who was in charge of the seven-speed transmission development project.

The seven-speed transmission improved response times by 4 to 6 percent over the firm’s conventional six-gear automated transmission.

Regarding improvements in fuel economy, Hyundai Motor Group announced last November it would raise the average fuel economy of their vehicles by 25 percent by 2020 to meet tighter global emissions regulations.

“Hyundai Motor cars with a seven-speed DCT improve fuel efficiency by 6 to 10 percent over cars with the six-speed transmission,” Im said.

The Hyundai Motor executive confirmed that the automaker is developing the seven-speed DCT for larger cars.

“We expect the popularity of DCT-equipped cars will continue to grow, regardless of the car size, taking a 9.6 percent market share in the global transmission market,” he added.

By Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)