Question: Just how many gear ratios is too many? Well, Hyundai seems to think 10 is the magic number; the Korean automotive giant is developing an in-house-designed 10-ratio automatic gearbox that's due to be slotted into its Equus and Genesis luxury saloons (roughly equivalent to the E-class and S-class) for 2014.
This move (part of Hyundai's commitment to develop its own drivetrain technologies), puts Hyundai at the top of a gearbox ratio race that has seen Porsche developing a seven-speed manual for the new 911, eight-speed autos become de rigueur among luxury cars, and even pushed ZF to develop a 9-speed transmission.
So what's this technological one-upmanship about? Well, officially, it's all about the bid by global car makers to increase efficiency and cut down on emissions (that's what business news wire Bloomberg, which broke the news, says, at least).
But we can't help but feel there's a tiny bit of corporate willy-waving going on here: our gearbox has more ratios than yours... na na na-naa na. Etc etc... Now, where's that design sketch for the PH 46-speed auto gone...?