Kia Introduces an Eight-Speed Automatic Gearbox
Up until now, Kia only had a six-speed automatic transmissions for their vehicles – apart from the one in the K900, which used the same drivetrain as the now-defunct Hyundai Equus. In a world where everybody is trying to add more gears into their trannies, this wasn’t enough. They had to up their game.
This is why their newest gearbox has not seven, but eight gears. It has been developed for the front-wheel drive vehicles of the lineup. The first to benefit from it will be the 2017 Kia Cadenza.
According to the company's engineers, this new gearbox is pretty much the same size as the outgoing six-speed unit. It is 3.5 kg lighter, and features the industry’ smallest oil pump. Overall, 143 patents were registered to create this transmission.
After the arrival of the 2017 Kia Cadenza, we can expect the new gearbox to find its way into other front-wheel-drive Kia products.
