ZF's new step forward

Internal combustion engines are forever being asked to produce more and more from less and less. Consumer demands and the environment ensure that car makers must squeeze every last iota of efficiency from a vehicle's drivetrain.

One surefire way to improve a car's efficiency for little cost is the development of ever more sophisticated transmissions. That's the thinking behind a new transmission announced in Detroit this week by automatic transmission specialist ZF. Designed for use in transverse engine applications, the new epicyclic box will be built at a production facility in Greenville, South Carolina.

The new transmission has three more gears than the six-speed boxes fitted to the very best front-wheel drive cars on the market today and the manufacturer reports that leading edge technology allows the damper clutch to lock up the torque converter faster than other, similar systems.

ZF also claims that the new 9HP transmission will not only reduce fuel use and CO2 emissions, but should boost straight-line performance also. As with the company's eight-speed transmission -- rapidly finding its way into prestige cars with the engine mounted longitudinally -- the nine-speed ZF can change gear very rapidly, says the manufacturer, and can skip multiple gears during kick-down.

The jury's out on whether an epicyclic box can compete on an even footing with continuously variable transmissions, but ZF boxes have proven to be robust and durable over the years -- and with nine forward speeds the latest ZF is bound to give CVTs a run for their money.

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