[banter]

Now that it has been confirmed in the sting ray for '15, do you think they'll put it in the camaro with the '16 redesign? Personally, i dont see why not.

[PYROLYSIS]

Seems logical to me. I love driving a manual but that instant gratification of an automatic grows even more appealing with an 8 speed auto.

[Destructo09]

I suspect we will probably see it in 2016 also. Gotta keep that MPG going up to keep up with the cafe requirements.

[MikeT]

Upgraded V6... upgraded V8s... Cadillac platform... 8 speed autos... at what point would all this stuff result in the Camaro becoming a much more expensive car?

Just askin'

Of course, I want all these improvements as much as the rest of you, but seriously the Camaro right now is one of the very few 'good value' vehicles (i.e., in terms of bang for the buck) in GM's entire lineup. Are we looking at the end of an era... and a Camaro starting north of $28K or something?

[Jason@JacFab]

I like the idea of it, but what I always come back to in my head is, "How much is it going to cost to fix when it breaks?"...

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by MikeT

Upgraded V6... upgraded V8s... Cadillac platform... 8 speed autos... at what point would all this stuff result in the Camaro becoming a much more expensive car?

Just askin'

Of course, I want all these improvements as much as the rest of you, but seriously the Camaro right now is one of the very few 'good value' vehicles (i.e., in terms of bang for the buck) in GM's entire lineup. Are we looking at the end of an era... and a Camaro starting north of $28K or something?

The Camaro's already a much more expensive car. It has an obligation to compete with other cars in the segment. To cheapen the car would kill it.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by MikeT

Upgraded V6... upgraded V8s... Cadillac platform... 8 speed autos... at what point would all this stuff result in the Camaro becoming a much more expensive car?

Just askin'

Of course, I want all these improvements as much as the rest of you, but seriously the Camaro right now is one of the very few 'good value' vehicles (i.e., in terms of bang for the buck) in GM's entire lineup. Are we looking at the end of an era... and a Camaro starting north of $28K or something?

Alpha isn't Cadillac exclusive. In fact it was developed with the Sigma fiasco in mind where GM couldn't use the platform for anyone else because it cost so much.

[MikeT]

Originally Posted by The_Blur

The Camaro's already a much more expensive car. It has an obligation to compete with other cars in the segment. To cheapen the car would kill it.

'Much more expensive' than what?! The Camaro is currently GM's LEAST expensive way to get into a V6 or a V8. I don't expect that to change, but it will be a bit disappointing if prices have to move up 5 large or so to pay for all these rumored upgrades.

[maddoggyusa]

"Juechter confirmed the transmission will find its way into other applications, even though it’s design was influenced solely by the Z06 project."

Read more: http://gmauthority.com/blog/2014/01/...#ixzz2yUwkdyDO

[crysalis_01]

My only question is, will they continue using this 8-speed when the new F/GM 9 and 10-speeds hit the market?

I ask because millions have been spent developing these. So why not use the latest and possible more efficient/ effective trans?

[GretchenGotGrowl]

Originally Posted by crysalis_01

My only question is, will they continue using this 8-speed when the new F/GM 9 and 10-speeds hit the market?

I ask because millions have been spent developing these. So why not use the latest and possible more efficient/ effective trans?

I think those were developed for trucks. Of course, that doesn't mean they won't appear in a car at some point, but I think that would take a while.

[banter]

Originally Posted by crysalis_01

My only question is, will they continue using this 8-speed when the new F/GM 9 and 10-speeds hit the market?

I ask because millions have been spent developing these. So why not use the latest and possible more efficient/ effective trans?

I'm gonna say yes because I don't believe the 9 and 10 speeds were built for performance oriented vehicles. Also, GM needs to get their money worth from the R&D that went into this trans.

[ChocoTaco369]

I don't get it. There is a law of diminishing returns with adding gears on a transmission.

At some point, the lag of having to constantly shift will diminish the increased acceleration provided by the closer gear ratio.

The constant shifting will diminish the ride comfort and make it annoying. I can't stand overly-shifty automatics.

With every gear you add, you add another point of failure.

We are approaching the point of putting in less efficient, less comfortable, less reliable, more expensive transmissions in vehicles just for the sake of marketing more "speeds." It doesn't make sense. 6 gears is the sweet spot, IMO. It allows a tight ratio with a large overdrive and an aggressive first gear. Adding more is fruitless and annoying to deal with.

One of the biggest downsides of the internal combustion engine is that it makes its power in a very narrow range and requires a transmission. This was its Achilles Heel a century ago when it was competing against electric and steam motors. The goal of any engineer should be to make a vehicle function at maximum potential using as few gears as possible. This is how you define drivetrain efficiency. They're just dumping gears in there because a bigger number advertised looks more impressive just like camera manufacturers dump larger MP numbers on their cameras for marketing with no regard to lens or sensor quality.

[crysalis_01]

Originally Posted by GretchenGotGrowl

I think those were developed for trucks. Of course, that doesn't mean they won't appear in a car at some point, but I think that would take a while.

If I remember correctly the two were being devoloped for both FWD and RWD configuartions and that the 9-speed is for lower TQ output vehicles, small FWD/AWD cars, CUV's, and crossovers, while the 10-speed is for higher TQ output applications from RWD/AWD cars, SUV's, and trucks.