Automotive News reports that quality problems have delayed the continuously variable transmission slated for the 2002 Saturn Vue. Saturn retailers expected to receive the Vue VTi in January. The transmission was to be offered as an option along with manual and conventional automatic versions. CVTs help to boost fuel economy by using a steel belt and adjustable pulleys to ensure that the engine is always running in its most efficient RPM range.

Saturn spokesman Mike Gardner told Automotive News that no CVT-equipped Vues have been delivered to customers. Instead, he said the VTi will arrive at dealerships in the second quarter of this year. Gardner reported that during testing, GM found that many of the CVT's internal parts were defective and were not manufactured according to specification. Automotive News said that Gardner would not name the supplier of the faulty parts. The transmission was designed by GM Powertrain and is built at an Opel plant in Szentgotthard, Hungary.

The CVT reportedly uses 45 percent fewer parts than a standard four-speed automatic transmission. The company says the CVT, mated to the 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine, delivers a 7 percent improvement in fuel economy over the automatic transmission and provides seamless acceleration. Automotive News reports that Saturn had expected the Vue with CVTs to account for half of the projected volume of 50,000 units in 2002.

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Source: Automotive News