A top executive of Volkswagen Group indicated on January 14th that the company will not discontinue models equipped with seven-speed direct shift gearbox (DSG )transmissions in China, a local news daily reported on 22nd January.

Volkswagen has come under heavy fire from consumers saying the transmissions are faulty, a charge that Volkswagen has always denied.

Ulrich Hackenberg, a member of the Volkswagen Board of Management, told the local news daily that Volkswagen will not change its strategic plan for DSG technology.

"Volkswagen is preparing the next generation DSG technology. The torque, size and other aspects will be upgraded and improved," said Hackenberg. Hackenberg said that Volkswagen's plug-in style hybrid models will continue to be equipped with the next generation DSG technology.

"Volkswagen continues to believe that DSG is the most fuel-efficient and the safest technology at present," Hackenberg added. He said that DSG is an important part of the BlueMotion technology, which is highly recommended by Volkswagen.