transmission

More gears equals less fuel use in Chrysler's trademark Jeep Cherokee, as the US automaker will make a nine-speed automatic transmission standard on its 2014 Cherokee. The transmission, the world's first nine-speed automatic transmission for passenger vehicles with a front-wheel-drive layout, ...

Mazda has some good news for a Thailand auto industry rebounding from floods that crippled production less than three years ago. The automaker will build a 26 billion yen ($286 million) factory in the country's Chonburi Province that will be used strictly to build Mazda's SkyActiv ...

Some would say Lotus has some credibility among the green-car set since it supplied the body for the Tesla Roadster and has always been obsessed with extracting maximum performance from light weight. Now, our friends at Green Car Reports are suggesting that the UK boutique sportscar operation ...

When it comes to adding transmission gears to boost fuel economy, Chrysler figures the more the merrier. For now. The U.S. automaker, which is controlled by Italy-based Fiat, will start installing eight-speed transmissions in some of its vehicles by the end of the year, with nine-speed trannies ...

Transmission specialist Antonov reports that exhaustive testing of an electric vehicle equipped with the firm's multi-speed transmission over eight different drive cycles has proven that its multi-speed unit delivers approximately a 10-percent improvement in electric motor efficiency compared to ...

UK transmission engineering and control specialist Vocis will show off its electric vehicle-specific, two-speed transmission during the Low Carbon Vehicle Event 2011 at Rockingham Motor Speedway over in the UK. This will be the first public demonstration of the Vocis two-speed trans, which will be ...

Back in January, ZF Friedrichshafen AG promised a nine-speed transmission, and now the gearbox specialists are ready to deliver some details. ZF claims that the 9HP transmission has been designed for front-wheel-drive vehicles with transversely mounted engines. More importantly for automakers ...

A patent filing has revealed that General Motors, in partnership with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), is indeed developing a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission for front-wheel drive applications. It's rumored that this trans will eventually find its way into The General's ...

Ford says that its six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission, which debuted on the 2010 Fiesta, can slash fuel consumption by nearly 10 percent compared to a traditional four-speed slushbox. The improvement in efficiency, according to Ford, is due to the tranny's weight loss and by maximizing ...

It's only been a year since General Motors launched its 6T40 six-speed automatic transmission for mid-size and compact cars. When it was introduced, it brought with it a five percent bump in fuel efficiency. The engineers at GM Powertrain are now developing a second-generation variant of the 6T40 ...

PSA has produced 30 million transmissions at its Valenciennes factory near Calais, France since opening in 1981, and it has just launched an expansion there. While the plant produces four different types of transmissions, the expansion is focused on the two newest designs for the mechanical compact ...

Last week, Volkswagen of America announced it would build it's first US factory since it's Pennsylvania factory closed in 1984 in Chattanooga Tennessee. The new plant will build a new mid-sized replacement for the Passat. What CEO Stefan Jacoby didn't announce was where powertrains will come from. ...

Ford C-MaxA better transmission can help reduce fuel use by improving the efficiency of the transfer of energy from the movement of the engine to the wheels. Whether in dual clutch or continuously variable forms, improved transmissions are one way engineers are bumping up vehicles' MPG numbers. ...

While many high-end autos are boasting seven or even eight gears in their transmissions, mainstream vehicles often are saddled with units including only half that many. The lack of mechanical gear ratios is rather detrimental to fuel economy, so we're happy to see that Ford is launching more ...

Remember Zeroshift? We last wrote about them in April after we attended the SAE World Congress. At that time it was revealed that they were working on the implementation of their transmission in motorcycles, although we have not heard any more regarding when we'll see their product on a production ...

Ford Motor Company is mulling ways to move some of its Expedition metal -- which is a good thing considering the 82-day supply the automaker is currently hoarding. The Dearborn-based automaker is taking its big Expedition SUV, which gets 14 mpg in the city, and making a diesel or hybrid ...

A state-of-the-art full hybrid system, co-developed by GM, DCX, and BMW, was announced today, with production starting next year. The hybrid system combines the electric motors with a fixed-gear transmission, allowing easy integration with a number of different engine choices. The system is a ...