Transmissions

For decades, automatic transmissions had three or four speeds, which were deemed sufficient to provide reasonable acceleration and fuel economy. Then came the five speed automatic, which was standard issue on most cars until just a few years back. Then, the race for more gears in the transmission...

The 2013 Dodge Dart is one of the most eagerly anticipated models of the new model year—not just because it’s the first model to be developed under pooled Fiat and Chrysler engineering resources, but because it represents a return to form for Dodge compact cars. That said, the Dart is...

Chevy's Sonic Turbo, introduced last year with a six-speed manual gearbox, now offers a six-speed automatic transmission option, too.

The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1's unique pre-staged automatic shifting system gets explained on video.

As the quest for greater fuel efficiency continues, continuously variable transmissions or 'CVTs' are becoming more popular. Nissan has been touting their benefits for several years now on much of its range, allowing drivers to enjoy smooth, stepless progress, fuel efficiency and efficient power...

British company Zeroshift is developing a revolutionary new transmission that promises to offer faster gearshifts than a dual clutch transmission, which is already blistering quick at eight millisecond shifts, but is also more fuel efficient, lighter and cheaper too. The key is the...

According to Mazda, conventional hydraulic automatic transmissions—especially with a smart engineering rethink—are better than CVT or DSG units

The eight-speed gearbox will get a year of maturation in European markets before being offered for sale in the U.S. When it does come, it will likely bring a new rotary gear selector with it, as well as improved fuel economy figures.

We don't bemoan the loss of Lamborghini's love for manual transmissions, because they're just so un-Lamborghini to begin with.

Since the unveiling of the Audi R8 back in late 2006 the iconic supercar has undergone few major changes apart from the introduction of a V-10 model in addition to the original V-8, as well as a drop-top Spyder, which comes with either engine. That doesn’t mean the car is without its...

Most of BMW's EfficientDynamics technologies are pretty sleepy numbers: nearly-invisible aerodynamic tweaks, thermal efficiency improvements, electric power-assist systems, and the like. Some of them, however, are downright fascinating, like the future predictive eight-speed transmission detailed...

Performance cars are all about performance, except when they're not. In the case of luxury-performance sedans like BMW's M5, there are numerous concessions made to comfort and civility that cost ultimate speed and handling. But the next M5 may make a big concession: no manual transmission, not even...

How many gears does your car have? Have you ever felt it had too few? Well, say hello to the Matt LeBlanc of transmissions, the ZF nine-speed automatic. Feeling inadequate? You should, according to ZF. "Similar to ZF's eight-speed automatic transmission used in rear-drive platforms, the new 9-speed...

We already know that Bentley and Audi will share a newly developed 4.0-liter V-8 engine that will debut towards the end of the year in the recently facelifted 2011 Bentley Continental GT and eventually appear in some performance models from Audi. But what we didn’t know is that the S tronic...

In the never-ending pursuit of efficiency, performance and smooth power delivery, the next step forward for many automakers is the adoption of the dual clutch transmission. Once the province of high-end performance cars, dual clutch transmissions have been finding their way into everyday vehicles...