GM: Six speeds better than four
GM shows the insides of its six-speed transmission.
(Credit: GM)GM touts its six-speed-automatic transmissions in video and blog form today, highlighting the kind of power train technology that should keep the company competitive. Engineer Jeff Lux provides some insight into GM transmission advances in his blog entry, and another transmission engineer, Scott Damman, narrates a video with some interesting animations showing how these transmissions work.
The blog points out the four percent fuel efficiency that can be gained when using a six-speed transmission over a four speed. GM has nine different six-speed transmissions, and is working on a 10th, with 40 models using them. Those numbers are likely to go down with model and brand cutbacks. We're also not sure why GM needs 10 different transmissions when four should do, such as one for small cars, one for larger sedans and crossovers, one for SUVs, and a performance model for cars like the Corvette. Either the number of transmission shows GM's inefficiency, or the blogger is counting versions with slightly different gearing.
Other work toward improving performance mentioned in the blog involves the software used to control torque converter lock-up, which shows how even power trains are incorporating advanced technology. And we're all for eliminating the slush from automatic transmissions.
Another fuel saving technology GM is rolling out in the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain is an Eco mode, a button that makes the transmission upshift earlier and hold high gears longer, thus improving fuel economy. Here's a suggestion: make that Eco mode the normal Drive mode.
This video is entertaining if you like to see how the innards of a transmission look.
I thought they were to focus on electric and hydrogen automotives.
Hydrogen is dead. Obama administration is in the process of killing hydrogen. so all the money Honda, GM and Ford was for nothing. Atleast in North America. As far as I know Europe is still willing to go hydrogen. This is the problem... all these car companies put millions/billions of dollars in to developing new power plants that run on various types of fuels. They tend to go with what the Fed Govt wants... The Fed Govt changes course, coasting all these companies far too much money. Part of the problem with auto industry here is Fed Govt related...
GM can certainly LEARN from that business model, but then again GM's been using a lot of tech across platforms for a long, LONG time. Not since the '70s has individual divisions built distinctly different (but overly similar) powerplants. The first set of oil crises took care of most of that redundant wastefulness a long time ago. GM's biggest problem has been the cash cows (aka SUVs) that they were banking on for so long. And now it's their ability to ADAPT updated tech like this 6-sp box to their assembly lines; it takes HARD CASH to get all the infrastructure into all of the assembly plants that will be installing these boxes, something that's clearly been in short supply.
The new 2010's Ford Focus, Ford Focus Coupe, Ford Focus Electric, Ford Fusion, Ford Fusion Hybrid, etc are all REDESIGNS from the interior and exterior (the Focus is a pull from their European version with a slight design change) and focusing on FUEL ECONOMY. Ford is not touting any humongous SUV's because humongous SUV's are S.T.U.P.I.D. Ford is actually converting truck and SUV factories into factories to make smaller cars because that is what people want.
You can go through every single car on the GM page and not find a single one in the $10,000 - $25,000 range that looks great, has a nicely designed interior, and gets great gas mileage. If GM still hasn't figured out what it takes, like Ford has, then I see no future for the company.
Then again, you DO sound like a Blue Oval fanboy (or employee), anyways.
The Car of the Year is going to be an Obama Motors car, made in China.
So sorry for all of you folks that worked for GM, they don't need you anymore. Chrysler too. Not your fault, but what a kick in the teeth. Or lower.
The threat of strikes and labor slowdowns always caused GM (and Ford and Chrysler) to take cover and generally give in to most UAW demands. They got away with it so long, and didn't give a rat's azz about the welfare of the guys who have to sign and BANKROLL those fat checks the workers cash in.
But wouldn't it make more sense to work on the drivability issues of a CVT and turn out something that's a real improvement rather than this watered-down nonsense? In my opinion, unless an automatic transmission-driven automobile can be made to be as efficient as a properly driven manual transmission, the purchase of such vehicles should be taxed out the wazoo.
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by make_or_break
May 14, 2009 11:39 AM PDT
- This video comes off as some sort of knee-capped PR piece. 6-sp autoboxes have been around for a while; having six forward gears in a slushbox is nothing new. Heck, 7 and 8 speed autoboxes are now available or in the works from other makers.
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(22 Comments)PR department spin doctoring to hide the fact that GM neglected to move away from their older autobox designs when everyone else was a decade or so ago.