Ficosa closes its first contract for rotary shift-by-wire system

The order, valued in €34.5 million, comes from an Asian automobile manufacturer and allows the company to add a new product to its portfolio
As added value, in addition to the rotary selector, for this project Ficosa is also supplying the whole system, including the electronic control unit (ECU) and gearbox actuator (GBA)
Ficosa has closed another contract, which has a total value of €6.9 million, to provide another Asian automobile manufacturer with the second generation of the shift-by-wire levers
These two contracts also strengthen Ficosa’s solid position in China, a key market in which the company is present in Taicang, Chongqing and Shenyang, where both orders are being produced

Ficosa, a top-tier global provider devoted to the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of high-technology vision, safety, connectivity and efficiency systems for the automotive and mobility sectors, has closed its first contract to supply rotary shift-by-wire systems to an Asian automobile manufacturer.

With a total value of €34.5 million, the order placed for this latest-generation product expands Ficosa’s portfolio of products in the shift-by-wire field. Furthermore, as added value, the company is not only providing the rotary shifter selector but the whole system, which includes the electronic control unit (ECU) and the gearbox actuator (GBA).

In the words of Ignasi Castelló, Ficosa’s Command & Control Systems Business Unit Director: “This is the first time in the history of the company that we have closed a contract for a rotary shift-by-wire system, a great milestone that is expanding our portfolio of products. This order, in addition to reaffirming our position as leaders in shift-by-wire systems, also further strengthens our expertise as systems integrators, as we will deliver the whole system, including the ECU and GBA”.

The software for this system has been developed at the Viladecavalls Technology Centre while the product itself is being manufactured at the Taicang Technical Centre (China). This rotary shift-by-wire system stands out for being lightweight, just 1.35 kg, eliminating transmission vibrations and being highly intuitive for users. Plus, it provides extra safety: if the driver leaves the vehicle with the gear shift in D (Drive), the system’s ECU activates the gearbox actuator (GBA) to automatically put the transmission into P (Park).

Shift-by-Wire Lever Contract

Ficosa has also closed a contract with another renowned Asian car manufacturer to produce a shift-by-wire lever, valued at a total of €6.9 million. The company has already begun mass-production of this product at the Taicang plant.

As Castelló highlights: “These important orders from two Asian automobile manufacturers strengthen Ficosa’s already solid position in China, where these products are already being manufactured. In this way, China is a key market for the company, in which we are present with plants in Taicang, where our engineering centre is also located, Chongqing and Shenyang, with the main aim of being close to our clients in order to give them the best possible service”.

Under this contract, Ficosa will be supplying the second generation of its shift-by-wire lever, which has important improvement from the previous version. The system offers a modular design, making it more compact and considerably reducing development time as well as costs. Plus, it is monostable, meaning the gear-selector lever has one fixed position and when it is moved in any of the directions allowed, it returns to its stable position automatically.