Photo: ZF
While you can still find multiple cars with four-speed automatic transmissions, as well as even more vehicles with five-speed manuals in dealerships from across the world, the auto industry has developed an obsession for adding more gears to transmissions over the last few years.
This is, of course, a positive trend, as it leads to increased efficiency. For example, ZF now offers eight-speed automatic transmissions, as well as nine-speed ones and this isn’t even the end of the story, as a 10-speed trannies have been announced - these are still in the development phase- by Hyundai, as well as by Ford and GM (the two companies are handling the work together).
However, there’s a balance between efficiency increases and complexity issues, which lead to higher costs and weaker reliability and it seems that the market is not far from reaching it.
ZF CEO Stefan Sommer recently said that nine-speed transmissions are the “natural limit”, explaining that “There is no hard line, but you have to consider the law of diminishing returns. The question is whether adding even more gears makes sense.”
The statement was backed up by Julio Caspari, head of ZF’s North American arm, which claims that the most efficient transmissions currently available on the market are only 11 percent away from the theoretically ideal concept. Thus, he says that introducing more gears is more about marketing.
Via: Automotive News Europe (sub. req.)
However, there’s a balance between efficiency increases and complexity issues, which lead to higher costs and weaker reliability and it seems that the market is not far from reaching it.
ZF CEO Stefan Sommer recently said that nine-speed transmissions are the “natural limit”, explaining that “There is no hard line, but you have to consider the law of diminishing returns. The question is whether adding even more gears makes sense.”
The statement was backed up by Julio Caspari, head of ZF’s North American arm, which claims that the most efficient transmissions currently available on the market are only 11 percent away from the theoretically ideal concept. Thus, he says that introducing more gears is more about marketing.
Via: Automotive News Europe (sub. req.)
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