Formula One is considered by many as a pioneer of racing technical solutions, but in many cases new ideas of F1 engineers often come to nothing because of strict rules regulated by responsible authorities (FIA). The history of F1 is full of instances of banned innovative solutions. In this article we will take a look at the story of the CVT transmission technology in Formula One.

Nowadays, it comes as no surprise that sophisticated automatic transmissions push out classic manual transmission even from sports car segment, and the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 is one more example of this automation trend. But the group of enthusiasts from Concept Z Performance (CZP) decided to add to the Q60 a key element of the classic sports car – a manual gear stick.

The 8-speed GM automatic transmission has already caused a lot of troubles for the automaker because of some technical issues. In April 2019, transmission issues eventually led to the court action against GM, in which car owners complained about numerous transmission problems and demanded it to be eliminated. Now it seems like GM has found an efficient solution for issues related to the 8-speed unit.

BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY, a tech-focused service company for the auto aftermarket, has recently announced the start of a newly-developed Web site containing special tools and features intended to expand expertise of technicians in workshops and to provide handy solutions, which will ensure better standards of services and enhancement of profits.

Recently, Fords has faced a new class action lawsuit caused by problems with the 10-speed 10R80 automatic transmission installed in Ford F-150 trucks. The case papers say that transmission defects may lead to emergency situations on the road due to harsh shifts, jolts, delays and slippages. Despite these claims the carmaker hasn’t raised the question about possible recalls of trucks or gearbox replacement.

Recently, Honda has reported that the Odyssey model will celebrate its 25-year anniversary this year. To mark this event, the automaker unveiled that all new Odysseys will be equipped with a ten-speed automatic transmission and an Idle-Stop system. Earlier, these options were implemented only in the upper-tier models (Touring and Elite trims).

In recent months, issues with the Powershift DCT transmission in Ford’s Fiesta and Focus models have become a front-page news of automotive magazines and this scandal has gained a snowball effect on the American Auto Giant. To address the problem, Ford has announced the clutch warranty extension on the affected models by 2 years or 40 thousand miles, to a total of 7 years or 100 thousand miles.

Despite numerous internet appeals to Toyota to include a manual transmission option for the new Toyota Supra, it seems that the Japanese automaker plans to stick only with the 8-speed automatic solution from ZF. So far, it is unclear whether Toyota will decide to add a gear stick in the future, but fans of manual Supras are excited to know that the American company European Auto Group (EAG) is ready to take up this challenging task.

Constantly accelerating pace and growing road traffic in cities often forces you to make hasty decisions when you are behind the wheel to reach the destination point in time, but in some cases it happens at the expense of the car’s operability. For instance, it has been widely debated on how it will affect the car equipped with the automatic transmission, if you shift your car from R to D gear while still moving backwards.

Porsche owners frequently try to use the operational capacities of their cars on the road to the fullest extent, thereby exposing powertrain components to high loads. To keep Porsche cars in perfect operational conditions, they must be serviced by true professionals. That’s where specially trained Porsche technicians come into play.

Michelle Hughes, one of thousands of unlucky owners of Ford Fiesta equipped with a defective Powershift transmission, was visited by two Ford technicians who wanted to check her car and provide free-of-charge repair services if needed. At first sight, it seemed absolutely normal, but later it emerged that one of the technicians was Ford’s top manager who for some reason didn’t use his real name and position in the company during the meeting with Ms. Hughes.

Recently, Ricardo has announced the launch of production of newly-designed transmission solutions for the ABB FIA Formula E Championship 2020. This statement manifests the start of the Ricardo’s 4-th season of providing its advanced car components to teams taking part in the most popular 100% electric street racing competitions.

MAHLE Powertrain’s site in Michigan has recently obtained accreditation from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as a facility compliant with all necessary requirements for conducting emissions certification tests.

Ford Otosan, an auto manufacturing company jointly established by Ford and the Turkish company Koç Holding, plans to expand the production of transmission units in Turkey. Not long ago, the company has finished preparation of testing facilities for heavy-duty transmissions.

Recently, it has transpired that AW Texas, a U.S. subsidiary of Aisin AW Co., will build a new production site in Cibolo, Texas that will give numerous workplaces to the region.