Toyota Patents a Unique Automated Manual Transmission
Toyota was issued with a patent for a unique manual transmission which automatically drops out of gear and switches to neutral when the vehicle is coasting. The patent was granted in early 2017, but the information about this event got leaked not long ago.
The patent also specifies the electronic unit which controls the transmission clutch. Moreover, the manual transmission interacts with the clutch and does not allow the driver to shift to the higher or lower gear depending on the speed. Toyota engineers assure that this transmission significantly reduces fuel consumption. This innovative solution may be good news not only for admirers of manual transmissions but also for users of automatic transmissions.