Transmission

Most car buyers don't think a lot about transmissions. In the U.S., more than 9 out of 10 of them opt for an automatic, and that's that. But transmission technology turns out to be one of the major ways automakers are boosting gas mileage to meet tougher fuel-economy rules. And it appears GM is...

If you're reading this in North America, the vehicle sitting on your driveway probably has an automatic transmission. So do around 95 percent of other new vehicles on the U.S. market right now, though the Canadian figure is slightly lower. The numbers don't lie: Drivers just aren't buying cars with...

Sales of the 1.0-liter three-cylinder version of the 2015 Ford Focus compact are likely to be dwarfed by those of the more powerful and familiar 2.0-liter 1.6-liter four. After all, in a segment that's often price-sensitive, Ford is asking buyers to pay more for a slower car--although one that's...

Volkswagen has set itself a target of improving the efficiency of its future models as much as 15 percent by 2020. To do so, the firm is working on a new generation of twin-turbocharged diesel engines, as well confirming its plans for a new ten-speed dual-clutch transmission. Both will find their...

The Dodge Dart compact sedan launched as a 2013 model hasn't sold as well as hoped. One thing that hurt its debut was the unfamiliar feel of its dual-clutch automatic gear gearbox, brought over from Europe to boost the fuel economy of versions fitted with the 160-horsepower turbocharged 1.4-liter...

Future MINI models will be powered by three- and four-cylinder engines the brand says will combine fuel economy and sportiness.

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...

The Chevrolet Spark, the smallest Chevy sold in the U.S., will get some mechanical changes next year, according to Christi Landy, the brand's small-car marketing director. The 2014 Chevrolet Spark, which will go on sale late this year, will offer a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) in place...

The 2013 Dodge Dart has gotten off to a slow start in the market, but it's a vitally important car for Chrysler. The first vehicle based on shared underpinnings from its parent Fiat, the Dart has to show Chrysler can build competitive cars--and, even more important, top-quality small cars that...

Gosh, those crazy electric cars. They're so different and confusing, eh? We've now come across a new and thus-far unparalleled example of just how far people will go to avoid dealing with the realities of electric cars. Which are, of course, smooth, quiet, and torquey, meaning they're fast off the...

Engines might be getting smaller in the pursuit of saving fuel but transmissions are going the opposite direction. Over the last few years different carmakers have rapidly increased the number of ratios available to drivers, with Mercedes-Benz giving us 7-speed autos, Lexus developing an 8-speed...

Almost every day we hear of a shiny new car that gets a certain number of miles to the gallon, a number often greater than its predecessor. It sometimes seems like witchcraft - until significant steps towards high-tech materials are taken, rarely do cars lose weight from one model to the next (with...

Launching the 2012 Fiat 500 minicar in the U.S. market was a gamble to begin with. But it's one that is paying off in some unexpected ways. Fiat's top North American executive, Laura Soave, told trade journal Ward's Auto that the Cabrio model with the roll-back cloth roof is proving far more...

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...

Auto shows have always been the forum for unveiling the wildest, wackiest, most over-the-top drool-worthy vehicles. The shows have been more subdued over the past two years of economic turmoil, but this year, the folks at Revenge delivered something to smile about. The Revenge Verde takes its...

Today seems to be Ford day; this morning's e-mail included a news release on the early sales success of the 2010 Ford Transit Connect small delivery van, just while we're in the middle of writing up our four days of travel in a 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid. We first drove the 2010 Transit Connect in...