Hyundai Motor Group has announced that it has developed a “world-first technology” that improves gear-shift efficiency for hybrids.

Developed in-house and set to go into production soon, the new technology is called Active Shift Control (ASC) and the Korean company claims that it can reduce gearshift timing by 30% , improving the driving experience and fuel ecomony at the same time.

In its press release, the new ASC claims the new technology increases durability of the transmission by minimizing friction during gear shift, which in turn is montiored 500 times per second, “precisely adjusting the transmission rotation speed for faster shift times,” 

By aligning the rotational speeds of the engine and transmission gear shift times are reduced by up to 30 percent from 500 milliseconds to 350 milliseconds. Despite quicker shift times, ASC is said to deliver smoother gear changes as well. 

The first model to feature ASC will be the new Sonata Hybrid which has been launched in Korea.