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With its classic long-hood GT proportions, the Maserati GranTurismo has fantastic style. But while it may look great driving along an alpine mountain pass, the driving experience might leave you wanting for more power. For those people, Maserati will be showing the new GranTurismo S at Geneva. Displacement is bumped from 4.2L to 4.7L, so the Maser is now making 440hp; 35hp more than the old engine. The upgraded mill is connected to the company's race-inspired, electro-actuated MC-Shift gearbox in the transaxle layout. All these changes help the S achieve a 100km/h(62mph) time of 4.9sec. Full press-release after the jump. More »
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Add another true automanual tranny to the growing list. Call it the M double-clutch transmission with DriveLogic. It's BMW's new 7-speed switchgear that's shipping with the new M3s, and likely will replace the divisive, largely poky and cumbersome — that is, without some serious futzing — M-Sequential (SMG / SMG II) automated manual. The SMG system uses a high-pressure hydraulic actuator to shift gears, with the latest version (i.e., SMG II) offering five automatic modes and six manual modes and shift times in around 80 miliseconds. In dual-clutch systems, like BMW's new system and VW/Audi's DSG, one clutch handles gears 1, 3, 5, 7 (and reverse) and the second handles 2, 4, 6 — they work alternately, engaging and disengaging in a complex dance that allows for uninterrupted upshifts at speeds of a few milliseconds. An algorithm takes into account throttle position, engine speed, road speed and shift mode in use when calculating shift management. What else do we know about the new M double-clutch transmission with DriveLogic? Click through. More »
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How will Mitsubishi make its new Evo X a tool for super amusement? We know it'll be the 2.0-liter turbocharged MIVEC4 engine with aluminum cylinder block and the potential for 300+ horses out of the box. But what of the ground-drive system? (Yep, there's a press release for that.) Mitsu released new details about its Twin Clutch SST dual-clutch tranny and Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) system — sporting more sensors than a Seawolf-class sub. S-AWC includes active yaw control (ask a pilot) and an active center diff. Mitsubishi says its dual-clutch jobbie will improve fuel economy (yeah, sure) and improve zero-to-60 times over manual (with anyone but Tommi Mäkinen at the helm). We'll see it all in Tokyo, where the maximum super potential for action will be this year. More »
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Automotive News reports Chrysler is wagering the north 40 on a new dual-clutch manumatic it developed with tranny builder Getrag. The two companies have built a $530 million plant in Indiana to churn out the gearboxes, to which Chrysler will have exclusive rights. Word is, the six-speed DSG challenger will first appear in 2010 linked to Chrysler's new Phoenix V6, which will be equipped with cylinder deactivation. No word yet on whether Chrysler will license the tech to other carmakers, but we'd imagine such a big investment may force a tipping point that starts the revolution. – Mike Spinelli More »
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Straight off the editor's desk from the News That Surprises No One Department comes more info on Porsche's coming double-clutch manumatic gearbox. (That means one clutch handles the odd gears while a separate clutch toggles the evens.) According to the UK's What Car, they're calling the tranny, "Porsche Doppel Kupplungen," or PDK for short (making it as easy on the options sheet as VW's DSG). But when will it arrive, and in what models? A report from last year indicated the heirs of Ferdinand will offer the new box across all model lines. So keep your ears pointed northeast, because the noise Farago makes when the PDK shows up in a Boxster is going to make Howard Dean seem like a mute. And by shaving off a heap of milliseconds between shifts, it could mean the Tiptronic 911 Turbo's 3.4 seconds to 60 mph could be quite a laugh one day. – Jonny Lieberman More »
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Whither the autoboxes and CVT clockworks? Automotive News is reporting Volvo's S40 and V50 oil burners in Europe will come with dual-clutch transmissions, which can be shifted like manuals or run in automatic mode, starting in late 2007. The cars won't be getting the slick Borg-Warner box that turned once manual-only VW/Audi heads into DSG-paddling fools; Volvo's using a similar setup from Getrag, its joint-venture transmission partner. But that's only the appetizer. As a main course, Ford will eventually use the system, dubbed Powershift, in the majority of its European line, including Volvos, Land Rovers and Mazdas, as well as Ford brand cars like the Focus and Focus C-Max, replacing automatics and continuously variable boxes. As for the US, a source from Ford told AN the company is considering dual-clutch transmissions for some "smaller" models. That forces the question, are the manual's days numbered? (note: DSG shown) – Mike Spinelli More »
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