CVTs to Account for 25 percent of Automatics Shortly

It’s simply to clear a room of auto-fans. Just lecture them on how “astonishing” the continuously-variable transmission in your vehicle is.

Just like stick shift nostalgia, an established distaste for CVTs is far from enough to dissolve their success in fresh vehicles. Automotive detail constructor Bosch informed today that it expects 25 % of vehicles without a manual transmission to use a CVT “shortly.”

The company didn’t provide a more specific timeline, but underlined the fact that its own CVT can accommodate motors with up to 300 horsepower and around 330 lb-ft of torque. CVTs were unusual a decade ago, but customer preferences have shifted to put a bigger emphasis on fuel efficiency. With that, many companies have turned to the infinitely-geared equipment in an effort to offer better fuel efficiency.

Subaru and Nissan both make broad use of CVTs in their product lines. In Nissan’s case, that often means pairing the gear to its V6 motors. The Japanese company began putting its Xtronic CVT in the 2013 Pathfinder, which spelled doom for the V8, but greatly enhanced fuel efficiency.