Getrag (written by the company as GETRAG) is a leading manufacturer of automobile manual transmissions. The company was founded on 1 May 1935, in Ludwigsburg, Germany, by Hermann Hagenmeyer; as the Getriebe und Zahnradfabrik Hermann Hagenmeyer GmbH & Cie KG. During the evolution of the company, it went from a Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH) to an Aktiengesellschaft (AG), and today's company name is derived from Getriebe und Zahnradfabrik Hermann Hagenmeyer AG ("Transmission and gear manufacturer Hermann Hagenmeyer AG").
The company is global brand allied with the Ford Motor Company (Getrag Ford Transmissions, Getrag Asia Pacific), but supplies transmissions to most auto manufacturers, including General Motors, Daimler AG, Ferrari, Fiat, Porsche, BMW (Mini), Toyota, Mitsubishi, and the Volkswagen Group. Chief competitors include Aisin Seiki Co., BorgWarner and ZF Friedrichshafen.
In 2001, Getrag and Ford Motor Company entered a 50:50 joint venture known as Getrag Ford Transmissions to develop and manufacture transmissions. Getrag recently entered into two new supply deals with Ford to produce the Dual Clutch PowerShift Transmission at new plants in America (Irapuato, Mexico) and the other in Asia Pacific (in Nanchang, Ganzhou and Yudu, China). Production will begin in 2009 for Ford and then an additional DCx volume out of Mexico in 2010. The headquarters for the new division, Getrag Transmissions Corporation (GTC), is located in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The dual clutch transmission (DCT) combines the advantages of a manual and an automatic transmission, and is more energy efficient than either. Shifting between gears will be unnoticeable to passengers. Two main versions will be produced: an oil-bathed "wet" multi-plate clutch version which utilises hydraulic fluid for shifting, and a "dry" single-plate clutch version which uses electronic motors to control the transmission.
Getrag is also working with Robert Bosch GmbH to develop a DCT for use in hybrid vehicles.
On 17 November 2008, U.S. subsidiary Getrag Transmission Manufacturing LLC declared bankruptcy over debts incurred while constructing their Indiana plant. Getrag blamed Chrysler LLC for failing to follow through on promised funding for the new plant. In the 2nd quarter of 2008, Getrag had signed an agreement with Chrysler to supply its PowerShift DCTs for use in American markets. However, due to the global economic downturn, this was subsequently cancelled.
On 28 July 2011, Getrag made public a deal with GKN in which GKN would acquire all of Getrag's axle business and axle manufacturing facilities.