General Motors and its Chinese partner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), have filed patents for a new seven-speed automatic transmission that the pair are jointly developing for front-wheel drive applications.
This news is hardly the first of the pair working on such a transmission, as Leftlane reported in mid-August 2010 that both GM and SAIC had publicly acknowledged they were working on a series of small engines, as well as a dry dual-clutch transmission, but until now details on the transmission have been fairly limited.
Tut thanks to the revealing of patents by Auto Evolution, it is now confirmed that the transmission in question is in fact a seven-speed dual-clutch, marking two firsts for GM as the automaker has never offered more than six gears, or a dual-clutch transmission. It is also confirmed that the transmission will be used for front-wheel drive applications, which was expected, as it is intended to be paired with a crop of new 1.0- to 1.5-liter engines also being jointly developed between the business partners.
Details are still scant on the engines, but they are expected to utilize direct injection and, at least in some cases, the aid of a turbocharger.
References
1.’Patent filing reveals…’ view
