Drive Tek JV Pushes Drivetrain Outsourcing

Dana Corp. and GKN Automotive have formed a joint-venture company to provide complete drivetrain "service" for OEMs. The new venture, Drive Tek Ltd. of Auburn Hills, MI, wants to be a full-service supplier and "partner" to OEMs.

Company executives say Drive Tek will design and/or provide driveline systems integration for all manner of passenger vehicles, selecting best-in-class suppliers for components and overseeing the responsibility for the OEM's driveline performance and testing.

GKN has extensive experience with European driveline development and will integrate that with Dana's dominant position in supplying components for light trucks and sport/utility vehicles (SUVs).

The joint venture is openly focused on all-wheel-drive (AWD) systems and the application of AWD to niche-type vehicles. Drive Tek engineers say, however, that the company also will help to engineer a rear-drive system, for example, for those automakers "who have lost rear-drive expertise."