While most racing series have already been integrating sequential or DCT transmissions for quite a while, NASCAR has remained committed to its standard 4-speed manual H-pattern transmission. But recently, automotive news media have reported that the next-gen NASCAR Cup Series car that is presently under development comes with a six-speed transmission instead of a standard 4-speed unit.

Due to some issues with the transmission wiring harness on specific M models, BMW has come up with a decision to suspend the sale of affected models and to initiate their recall. The German car manufacturer has already informed the NHTSA on the situation, but the organization hasn’t made any official statements.

Transtar Industries, a major supplier of aftermarket transmission components, has recently reported about the assets acquisition of Dean Transmission Parts. The details of this deal, which entered into force earlier this month, have not been unveiled so far. Dean will keep on working at its primary location under Transtar’s brand name.

Honda has intensified the implementation of its electrification plans for Europe by bringing forward the date when all of its European main models will come with e-powertrains – to 2022. Announced during one of the industry events in the Netherlands, the new deadline is 3 years ahead of the previously specified 2025.

Lucas Oil Products Inc., a major producer and supplier of automotive lubricating solutions, has recently presented its new FL-0 Low Viscosity Synthetic Racing Oil and Semi-Synthetic Type F ATF during the PRI 2019 Show.

NSK, the Japanese manufacturer of bearings, has recently presented its latest LCube II series of conical roll bearings intended for transmission units installed in electric vehicles. These bearings are purposely built to enhance efficiency by facilitating to decrease in power demand and better reliability thanks to increased robustness and wedging resistance.

Eaton has announced that the company plans to stop production of its Procision dual-clutch automated transmission. Eaton representatives did not provide any significant details, just noting that the transmission would be produced only until the end of this year, adding that all customers had been informed about this decision in advance.

Kenworth has announced that the PACCAR 12-speed automated transmission will feature new PACCAR MX engine-adjusted shift calibrations early next year. This novelty will facilitate to better operating characteristics and will make the unit available for light vocational applications for the Kenworth T880.

The settlement on a collective action against Nissan has been preliminarily approved after the complainant party claimed that CVTs installed in 2013-2016 Altimas are prone to failures. A final hearing on the settlement is planned for March 6, 2020.

Rapidly growing share of automatic transmissions in modern vehicles made it possible to increase the level of comfort on the road, optimize the process of gear shifting and fuel economy, and to implement some features related to the road safety. All these benefits are particularly important on urban roads with heavy traffic. But why designs of automatic transmissions still include a manual mode of operation?

After Mini announced a temporary suspension on the availability of models equipped with manual transmissions for the American market, many auto enthusiasts thought that it was the end for manuals of one more brand in the US. But recently, a Mini’s representative has said during the interview that the gear stick will be back on some Minis models sold in the US.

Recently, Lukoil, a Russian oil company, has announced the start of production of its new line of specialized transmission fluids. According to the company’s press service, three types of fluids included in the ATF Synth line will be produced at Lukoil plants located in Russia.

Magna has designed and provides a cutting-edge dual-clutch (DCT) 8-speed transmission (named as 8DCL900) for the SF90 Stradale model - Ferrari’s 1-st plug-in hybrid sports car ever – with the purpose of ensuring better torque and gear shifting capacity.

It is well-known that modern automatic transmissions are much more complex than conventional manual transmissions, and therefore in addition to standard driving modes like D (Drive) and R (Reverse) automatics frequently have more additional features and operating modes.

As cars equipped with manual transmissions gradually disappear from the automotive market, some auto enthusiast still try to find comfortable new models that come with a touch of classic powertrain design. One talented mechanic came up with the idea to perform a transmission swap on the factory Audi SQ5 that comes with an automatic transmission only, and after some time this car got a clutch pedal as well as a gear stick.