eight-speed automatic
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Time was that the most gears you could get in an automatic transmission was three or four. Then came five- and six-speed automatics, which are now pretty much the standard (along with increasingly prevalent continuously variable transmissions, or CVTs). But the transmission wars have continued to escalate. DON'T MISS: Auto Industry Doing Fine In Meeting Gas-Mileage Goals, It Turns Out (Aug 2014) Today, seven-, eight-, and nine-speed automatics are offered in everything from large European luxury sedans to the Jeep Renegade subcompact SUV. Now Autoguide has reported on a patent filing by Ford...
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Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra Pickups To Get 8-Speed Automatic To Boost MPG
One of the factors making higher gas mileage possible across pretty much any vehicle on sale these days is multispeed transmissions. At the dawn of this century, four-speed automatics were the standard; now it's six speeds--and eight-speed automatics are coming on strong. Future models of the...
John Voelcker -
New Gas Mileage Rules Will Reshape What Americans Drive: Engines And Transmissions
Smaller, more efficient engines better matched to more complex transmissions will have some of the biggest effects in making tomorrow's cars more fuel-efficient. The 2025 corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) level of 54.5 mpg translates to about 42 mpg on the EPA window sticker. And while Toyota...
John Voelcker -
How To Get Better Mileage In Your Next Gasoline Car: Get More Gears
If you’re in the market for a new car, but the current offerings of electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid cars aren’t suitable there’s an often-overlooked way to get better gas mileage - more gears. In recent years we’ve seen six and seven speed automatic gearboxes becoming...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Chrysler 300 To Get 31 MPG Highway, Thanks To 8-Speed Automatic
Half a century ago, automatic transmissions had two or three speeds, and progress has come slowly since then. Today, many cars are still sold with four-speed automatics, though five- and six-speeds are the new normal. Next year, Chrysler will introduce eight-speed automatics on its full-size...
John Voelcker -
Ford's Gas Mileage Goals Spawn 3-Cylinder Engine, New Hybrids
Smaller, more efficient engines that equal the power of larger, lazier ones are how automakers all over the world plan to raise fuel economy. Today Ford [NYSE:F] doubled down on engineering as the best way to boost gas mileage, with announcements about three separate technologies it plans to use in...
John Voelcker -
Chrysler will soon be offering a new eight-speed automatic transmission developed by Germany’s ZF and used by luxury marques like BMW and Audi. The new transmission is said to be both more fuel-efficient and cheaper to manufacture than ZF’s popular six-speed unit that’s currently used by numerous automakers. Furthermore, its performance is claimed to be comparable with more advanced dual clutch units despite its conventional torque converter design. Chrysler will invest $300 million to convert its existing Kokomo transmission plant in Indiana in order to start manufacturing the new...