[noopster]

Where does the 6 speed automatic tranny on the VW Vento fit into all this? Am curious cuz I should have mine soon.

And to think that I thought an AT is an AT is an AT. Superb thread. 5 stars!

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by sidindica

[*]Toyota's popular hybrid, the prius, is offered with a 1.8L hybrid electric motor mated to a CVT.[*]Audi's A4 and A6 are offered with a new gen CVT called "multitronic" in front wheel drive versions with 7 speed close ratios.

The short lived Honda Civic Hybrid also had a CVT.

[sidindica]

CHAPTER 7.
AATHVA VACHAN.

Perhaps the game of one upmanship is like a war between Lord Krishna and Kans. Kans was after all, killed by Devaki's aathva putra (eighth son), Lord Krishna.

The Indian music consisted of saat sur-sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha and ni. But somehow somewhere it felt incomplete, so to round it off an aathva repeat sur was added, again a "sa." Perhaps the concept of "hum saath saath hain" is old. Time to say," Hum saath aath hain"?

Well, the game of one upmanship is now taken to a whole new level by teutonic wars. Mercedes proclaimed and tom tomed 7 speeds as better, while cross town rival BMW hit the first nail in Mercedes-Benz's coffin when it launched its all new E class rivaling F10 5 series in may 2010 equipped with no less than an 8 speed automatic with steptronic and steering mounted shift paddles on select models.

Yes, you guessed it right..8 speeds! The new transmission was originally introduced globally be Lexus in its 2009 LS sedan but quickly adapted by competitors. Ever tightening environmental regulations, fuel economy and emissions standards and above all, the need to ensure perfect balance between performance and economy has led to this move.

• The car is available in 5 variants-the 4 cylinder 520D, the inline 6 525D ans 530D with a 3 litre diesel in varying states of tune; and 523i and 535i petrols, the latter having a single scroll turbo.
• The new transmission has evenly spaced out gears which work in conjunction with the driving style and can choose the correct gear as per requirements, depending upon the engine rpm and traffic conditions. It even has the ability to skip ratios if more power is needed or extreme brakes are applied. The 535i and 530D are equipped with paddle shifts to enjoy manual selection of gears. The joystick enabled gear lever is a joy to use.
• The second BMW vehicle to get 8 speeds was the new 2011 X5, launched last fall. Both the petrol (Xdrive 50i with 4.4 litre twinpower turbo V8) and diesel (Xdrive 30D with turbo inline 6) get 8 speeds as standard.
• Expect the 7 series and X6 to get these transmissions soon.
• The Z4 continues to use a dual clutch 7 speed automatic.

With BMW at the helm, how do you expect the competition to be left behind?

• The all new Porsche cayenne, which debuted in 2010, also has an 8 speed tiptronic S gearbox in all its 5 variants-base, S, diesel, hybrid and turbo.
• Sibling Audi's Q7 also gained the same 8 speed gearbox recently on its 3.0T supercharged petrol, 3.0D V6 diesel and 4.2 V8 tdi diesel models.
• The upcoming Volkswagen toureag, which will be launched by mid 2011, will also gain the new 8 speed gearbox.
• The all new 2011 Audi A8, launching Feb 7, will be the first luxury car in India in its class with an 8 speed automatic powering both its 4.2 V8 FSI and 3.0 V6 TDi. (The 7 series uses 6 speed, the S class uses 7 and the Jag XJ too uses a 6 apeed auto.)
• The upgraded 2011 Rang Rover 4.4 TD V8 also gained a new 8 speed automatic with Drive selector, similar to Jag's XF.
• Bentley Mulsanne and upcoming continental series will also get 8 speed gearboxes as standard.
• Rolls Royce's latest sensation, the Ghost, also uses a ZF designed 8 speed gearbox.

Perhaps from the time automatic cars were launched in India with 2 and 3 speeds, the market has come a long way. 4 and 5 speeds is now considered a thing of the past and 6 and 8 speeds is the way to future, depending upon the class of the car and the price tag attached to it. But someday somewhere down the line the future will become more brighter despite the limited market. The game of numbers just got bigger and this will determine the market dynamics from now on.

Perhaps, its time to get rid of the Monday morning blues and enjoy some delicious pizza at your favourite dominos outlet when xobile will get into dominance mode and reconcile this article with the finale, coming up next...
Because, its time to get on cloud 9.

[DicKy]

Cloud 9,eh?
Which the new ZF auto or the one Merc is developing?
Good luck for your last chapter of this thread.