Yep both the Manual and Dual-Clutch ZF 7-speed share the same base.
Yes, essentially it has a similar base, the 7MT is based on the 7DC. I remember seeing a percentage number in the low to mid 80s mentioned at one point, something like 83% or 85% IIRC.
Here's their link for confirmation of the shared platform;
Cars | 7-Speed Manual Transmission - ZF Friedrichshafen AG
So think of it like this (using parts instead of percentages as to not cross-over percentage meanings).
Lets imagine they both use the same initial 83 parts they share, then the Manual transmission (likely the one needing less to complete) only needs another 17 parts to make an MT version, while let's say the DC needs another 44 different part to make a Semi-Auto DC version. Making it 100 parts for the MT and 127 for the DC but most still shared parts. That allows quicker reaction time to demand changes, and allows production and logistics efficiencies as well as storage/warehousing efficiencies which are all major challenges to Jeep in Toledo. This would also help down-stream for the dealership repairs/servicing and inventory.
While most of these discussions boil down to two camps arguing against the other, we currently have both with 2 models of experience with '10 SportX and '15 Sport S with the NSG370 6MT and also a now being replaced 2012 Rubi with the original Euro-made WA580 with it's better shift patterns, and currently a rental Sahara (while I decide on the replacement for the Rubi) with the N.Am. made version of the W
5A580/NAG1 which is slower but does do a better job with the auto-stick/tiptronic function except when trying to 'bump' a gear in drive it actually flips you into that gear vs the WA580 just up-shifting and keeping you in Drive (which is annoying if all you want to do is force a shift to lower RPM vs actually picking that gear). Plus my experiences with previous generation wrangler transmissions (both MT and AT). I'm not trying to say either is better than the other, they both have their good & bad and preferred applications. The thing is I want to see them BOTH get needed updates, especially the rather old 6-speed which is from 2005.
The NSG370 isn't a terrible transmission, but it is jiggly-poppy, and could use a refresh in my experienced opinion, especially when you try as many other manual transmissions as some of us have since it came out (even comparing recent generations of Mustang MTs back to back). Most Wrangler drivers don't really like the NSG370 so much as like the fact that they have a manual transmission option. The problem with this 'good enough' thinking is that it is far more likely that Jeep would drop the manual transmission far sooner if it doesn't get an update because the required tweaks would simply negate some of it's benefits to the people who currently like the option. The biggest issue, is that if Jeep doesn't update the MT with another gear, then they are going to have to muck heavily with its ratios, or more likely lower the axle ratio which is the compromise of capability for efficiency that most of us are afraid they will make in a JL refresh. And the argument that 'anyone can add after-market ratios' should've quieted all the whiners who whine about the 3.73 in a Sport or Willys if true, and doesn't address the fact that a great low end gear and great highway gear mated with your preferred up-ratio axle gear is still a win-win, without over-reving at highway speeds, thus not a compromise on either end.
Why not get all the benefits of a consolidated platform and at the same time give the Manual folks a Highway gear to help them with the highway trips to the trailhead, or occasional road-trip, and also quietly help with CAFE/EPA/Euro6 numbers, all the while creating a nice platform that could be applied in other areas (the Viper sorely needs another gear as shown in almost all shootouts where it is great off the line and dies a painfully slow death in 6th) where you could maximize efficiencies and options.
Also the base 7- speed does give you slightly better torque numbers than the 8-speed 845RE found in the Pentastar Ram 1500 (525NM vs 500NM) , and the uprated ZF-7 version offers the same 700NM capability of the the 8HP70 found in the EcoDiesel GC & Ram and non-hellcat versions of the Charger and Challenger. So supporting engine options or mods is not an issue (although technically the current NAG1 supports more power (580NM [hence the 580 in the name]) than either of the base ZFs.
Now I'd usually be concerned and say that it's not possible to see this in the 2017/2018MY JL because they haven't announced a re-tooling of a plant to prepare for producing the transmission, however they did the same thing with the Wrangler, as I mentioned above the first WA580s were European derived, and then the next year they started putting in the US made W5A580/NAG1s into the Wrangler, allowing for a two stage implementation while the plant was being re-tooled.
Again though, this requires that the folks at FCA do something other than applying existing solutions to the situation rather than finding the 'ideal' solution which could last the entire lifespan of the JL and other generations of vehicles.
Again, just my view from the cheap-seats. :wavey: