Transmission
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A 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission may be out, and an 8-speed dual-clutch could very well be in for the 2020 mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette. The new information comes via leaked order-guide documents published by Jalopnik in late March. Road & Track may have connected the dots in a Wednesday report to show the Corvette's transmission will actually be the same one used in the 2020 Porsche 911. R&T first speculated in January that the mid-engine Corvette would use a Tremec 7-speed DCT, which was likely to be shared with the forthcoming Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. However, the...
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One less pedal, quicker lap times: 2019 Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE gains 10-speed automatic transmision
The 2019 Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE will no longer be a manual transmission-only muscle/sports car. For the new model year, Chevrolet has graced the track-focused Camaro with a 10-speed automatic transmission with standard steering wheel shift paddles. It's the same transmission found in the regular SS...
Sean Szymkowski -
Ford GT and Mercedes-AMG GT use same gearbox, Ford's costs much more
Supercars are exotic machines with expensive parts. Many of those parts are sourced from suppliers but can only be bought through the brands when it comes time for a repair. According to a Friday report from Road & Track, the Ford GT and Mercedes-AMG GT share a gearbox, but Ford charges a lot...
Sean Szymkowski -
Ford says no thanks to GM's 9-speed automatic
After General Motors and Ford committed to co-developing new 9- and 10-speed automatic transmissions, Ford has passed on the former. Per the agreement, Ford took on work for the 10-speed automatic, used for rear-wheel-drive vehicles, and GM undertook the 9-speed automatic for front-wheel-drive...
Sean Szymkowski -
What does Porsche's PDK stand for?
There are many abbreviations in the world of the automobile. You may think you know what most of them stand for, but others may leave you scratching your head. One of those is likely to be PDK, the name given to the automatic gearbox used by Porsche. And there's a reason you don't see the full name...
Jeff Glucker -
Stick shift to reappear on next Porsche 911 GT3
Lamborghini might be scrapping clutch pedals, but Porsche says that manual transmissions will stick around at least a little longer. The German automaker told Britain's Autocar that the six-speed manual transmission from the 911 R that debuted at this week's 2016 Geneva Motor Show will be available...
Andrew Ganz -
There’s no future for manual transmissions in the Lamborghini lineup. For enthusiasts who might have been out of the loop for some time, it may come as a big disappointment to learn that the old three-pedal setups have already been quietly phased out, with the last of the Gallardo and Murcielago models. But the truth is that nobody was ordering them. ALSO SEE: Will Wake Of VW Diesel Scandal Help Electrify Lamborghini? “You have no opportunity to be faster than a double clutch,” said Lamborghini CEO Stefan Winkelmann, this past week at the Detroit Auto Show...
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Purists Rejoice: The 2017 Jaguar XE Will Get A Manual Option
It's a bit disheartening to think that the fact a slick sport sedan like the Jaguar XE will come with a manual option is news—but that doesn't make it any less welcome. At this point, it appears the six-speed stick will only be offered on models with the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder...
John Coyle -
Technology Preview: We Drive Honda's 10-Speed Automatic Transmission
It wasn't too long ago that a six-speed automatic transmission was state of the art. Then we got seven-speed, eight-speed, and nine-speed units. One of the nine-speeds, designed by noted transmission manufacturer ZF, has given multi-speed transmissions a bad reputation. Paired with four-cylinder...
Kirk Bell -
More Details On Porsche’s 911 For Purists
Earlier in the year we heard that Porsche was planning a 911 for purists, one equipped with a naturally aspirated engine and a conventional manual transmission. The car was said to be Porsche’s way of appeasing those buyers lamenting its decision to no longer offer a manual on 911 models like...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2016 Cadillac ATS And CTS Get Engine, Transmission Upgrades
The Cadillac ATS and CTS both see high-performance V-series models added for 2016 (ATS-V and CTS-V), but buyers of the regular models also have some upgrades to look forward to. The big news is the addition of a new V-6 engine, along with the availability of an eight-speed automatic on most models...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
This Is How A Manual Gearbox Works
You. Yes, you there. You're clearly a man or woman who knows everything there is to know about the inner-workings of the automobile, correct? Of course you are. Well, what if you have to explain something to, oh a friend or family member that might not fully understand the combustion engine and all...
Jeff Glucker -
BMW's Predictive Gear Shift is unquestionably trick technology. First appearing on the company's Rolls-Royce Wraith, and later on its BMW 7-Series, the system uses satellite navigation to read the road, automatically downshifting before turns and upshifting upon exit. You know, just like a driver with a proper manual gearbox would do. And on battleship-sized luxury cars, where prestige is measured in the amount of acres of old-growth wood and leather appointing the cabin, it's an interesting function to note. But the small BMW 1-Series, which isn't available in the U.S., is hardly designed...
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Thinking Inside The Gearbox: How A Manual Transmission Works
The future of the stick shift looks dim. Performance icons like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren no longer offer traditional manuals. Even on enthusiast models like the Corvette, less than half of buyers opt for a third pedal. But all is far from lost. Alfa Romeo's new Giulia will allow drivers to...
John Coyle -
Ford Patents 11-Speed Automatic Transmission: Report
It’s been a while since the transmission wars have shown much heat—eight and nine speed transmissions are common, and we’ve all heard about development of 10-speeds, most notably for the upcoming 2017 Ford Raptor. Now, the Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] is taking the tally up again...
Nelson Ireson -
Next Jeep Wrangler To Get Eight-Speed Auto: Report
The next Jeep Wrangler will reportedly get the eight-speed automatic transmission used in other Chrysler products.
Stephen Edelstein -
VW Future Tech To Include 10-Speed DSG And Electrically-Driven Turbos
Volkswagen has announced several new technologies that will be making their way into its cars in the not too distant future. Headlining the list is a new diesel engine that displaces just 2.0 liters but churns out 268 horsepower. No torque figure has been mentioned but insiders have suggested...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Lotus Exige S Gets Automatic Transmission
The Exige may not be on sale here anymore but overseas the car continues to be updated, with Lotus announcing that for 2015 the range-topping Exige S variant will be available with a paddle-shifted automatic transmission. This should help the wide-body Exige appeal to a much wider audience, which...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
General Motors Company’s [NYSE:GM] new eight-speed automatic, the 8L90, is a brilliant piece of kit. Not only can it shift faster than Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch transmission, but we also found it to be great for the street and track when driving a 2015 Chevrolet Corvette fitted with it. It should come as no surprise then that GM has many more applications planned for the 8L90. The transmission has already been confirmed for the automaker’s large pickups and SUVs, including the 2015 Cadillac Escalade, and soon a lower-torque version will be rolled out. According to Automotive...
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Ford Mustang To Eventually Get 10-Speed Automatic?
Do you like your Ford Mustangs like you like your Peterbilts? We hope so, because it seems that the muscle car icon could be climbing the transmission ladder up into a space normally occupied for bigger machines. Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] is working on a ten-speed automatic gearbox together with...
Jeff Glucker -
Audi Abandons CVTs, Focuses On Conventional Auto And Dual-Clutch Transmissions
German automaker Audi has decided to kill off its continuously variable transmission, in the next generation of its models. Continuously variable transmissions, or CVTs, have long been available in several Audis, but the firm will now replace it with conventional automatics and dual-clutch...
Antony Ingram -
VW R&D Boss Confirms 10-Speed DSG, 236-HP Diesel Four
Volkswagen R&D boss Heinz-Jakob Neusser used this month’s Vienna Motor Symposium to reaffirm his company’s plans to introduce a 10-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission. Development of the advanced transmission was first announced at the Austrian event a year ago by VW Group CEO Martin...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
40 Percent Of Corvette Buyers Stick With Manual
Chevy says 40 percent of Corvette buyers choose the manual transmission.
Stephen Edelstein -
The 991 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Might Still Get A Stick: Wishful Thinking?
The news that Porsche's newest take on the hardcore 911, the GT3, would come in PDK-only form was taken a bit hard by some enthusiasts. We totally understand the lack of a three-pedal in the GT3--it's the street-going track version of the car, after all, and race cars have flappy paddle gearboxes...
Nelson Ireson