The new 8-speed unit is made for the FWD system and it is lighter in weight.
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Kia Australia told CarAdvice today the company’s local arm has no details of whether the new eight-speed auto will be rolled out here. The Genesis, however, is rear-wheel-drive, while Kia’s FWD unit is created to overcome the challenges of mounting the transmission transversely.
Promising better acceleration, quieter cruising and superior efficiency over the six-speed, the new transmission took four years to develop and saw Kia register 143 new patents.
Kia’s engineers weren’t able to install the transmission in the same longitudinal-fashion as the RWD transmission, due to packaging constrains imposed by the powertrain, suspension and other componentry. This new transmission enables smooth acceleration from standstill, as well as greater fuel efficiency, improved NVH characteristics, and more decisive acceleration at high speeds than an automatic transmission with fewer gears.
To improve the 8AT’s fuel economy, the automaker says it has significantly reduced the size of the oil pump – which is the main source of power loss in an automatic transmission – and simplified the structure of the valve body.
Kia’s new transmission boasts the smallest oil pump of any production transmission of its type, meaning it uses less hydraulic oil. Kia says the gear changes are quicker now and the extra clutch and two gears have allowed a 34 percent ratio increase at the extremes compared to the six-speed auto.
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The item in question is an automatic gearbox – hardly sounds revolutionary, but for the Korean company the new eight-speed self-shifter represents something of a breakthrough in that it has been specifically designed for use in front-wheel drive vehicles.
