Mercedes will outdo Lexus 8-speed auto with new dual-clutch

i thought 8 speeds was unecessary...

It is -- their 7-speed auto has more than enough gears.

StarSearch, I am not a Lexus fan but your analysis and conclusion is spot on.

5 gears is too little, 6 is just perfect and 7 is going overboard but 8?? Who the hell needs 8 gears?? Just now driving a car is going to be like driving a truck with all these gears!!

The more gears an auto trans has, the closer it comes to behaving like a CVT and having the smoothness and gas saving benefits associated with it.

StarSearch and _43LE, I'm a Lexus fan and of any other good car and your analysis is beyond idiotic and pathetic. This shows how hypocrite and juvenile the German fan boys are.

You guys don't have the guts to admit it that the Germans are copying and trailing the Japanese cars now, yeeeehaaa baby!!!

If MB or BMW and Audi later too want to build an 8 speed transmission then please make sure it does NOT blow up when the car hits its 60K miles marks. YES, I’ve owned an S430 and the transmission blew up when it reached 65K miles.

Lexus rocks people, just admit it. :-)

designer1 are you gay? not to poke fun but just wondering... cause designers usually are thats why.

"At the same time, Mercedes is also seeking a supplier for a new eight-speed automatic gearbox to match Lexus."

They can't even develop this themselves? How long has Lexus had an 8 speed transmission?

by the time they figure this out, lexus will have 9 speeds :)

Germany got no brain...

Yeah and it was not toyota who built their 8-speed it was Aisin.

http://www.aisin.com/news/products/071016.html

Still 8 speeds are not necessary MB and BMW only do it because of stupid marketing demands.

FYI, Toyota owns part of Aisin.

yeah and MB owns a share of ZF, but the fact is that they are developing it in-house i.e. not contracting it to ZF or getrag.

Aisin was founded by the same guy, Kiichiro Toyoda, who founded the Toyota Motor Corporation. MB owning shares of ZF is NOT the same thing. Get your facts straight.

fine but it is a separate firm (aisin) who developed the toyota 8-speed as opposed to in house engineers. There lies the distinction..the MB unit will be developed in house.

Just because he found the corporation and Aisin doesn't mean it's "in-house". It's still two separate entities and for that it's still always relating back to shares. Toyota owns shares of Aisin even though it may be part of the Toyota Group. You think the founder didn't sell it off to Toyota (the company) so he can bank some money?

Anyways, I find it funny that Toyota makes embroidery machines. I wonder if they supply the sweat shops throughout Asia with some 8-speed sewing machines LOL.

all this business owning this and that is confusing and who cares! all that matters is we as consumers get quality products. mb,toyota(lexus), whatever all create good products thats why we always argue here lols....their so good we have to argue. u dont see us arguing what is better.. a chevy or a mb. its not gonna happen... europes finest are worlds top notch. lexus is japans finest but not the world's top notch but it doesnt matter. we states citizens like it and it was made for us to consume anyways...

omg, German fan kids, please stop your weeping will you?? You're out of words and don't know what to say, and now you're claiming a company that builds parts for Lexus is not like MB trying to build it in house with the help of ZF? You idiots, do you think that ANY car company builds their engines or any other parts all in house? if you do then you stupidity just sky rocketed.

Actually, in the 1980s, and 1990s (don't know now), the AC system in the BM had GM touches in it. Does anyone know that? I believe not, so give your weeping a break.

"You think the founder didn't sell it off to Toyota (the company) so he can bank some money?"

Are you that thick? Why would the founder sell it to himself? Are you even aware that Toyota is the majority shareholder in Aisin?

lols its not like toyoda owns 100% of both companies. f1 driver i think he meant the companies are separate and he is a shareholder and he may have sold out stocks to kind of cash out but maintain control. im not business savy but hey thats the basics..

f1! get your head out of your f1 helmet...your thinking like a kiddo!...mr. ferrari doesn't own ferrari.. is like porsche buying more stake in vw and have to offer audi a deal too...get it? lols...funny..

Lexurious:

Are you aware that majority shareholders exert great influences in a company? Obviously you failed business 101.

To counter Mercedes, Lexus will announce next week that it will soon offer a 24 speed transmission.

BTW, a 24 speed tranny is essentially a 12 speed with an overdrive gear for each cog. No biggy, really.

LOL

An eight-speed DSG would be ridiculous. A six-speed DSG is so quick already, and a seven-speed, only quicker. This would be super-fast gears with super-fast gear changes, both of which are totally unnecessary in a luxury car.

actually mb, bmw, and audi are involved with ultra luxury sedans , maybach, rolls, and bentley.

Maybach, Rolls Royce and Bentley are ultra luxury. MB and BMW are luxury. And Audi is just premium.

no audi is luxury too what are u smokin buddy? mb, audi, bmw, jaguar, and lexus are all luxury.. dont tell me audi is premium if you think a lexus is luxury. audi's designs are more for business people and lexus are more for old folks. ur on crack buddy.. ur opinions are so stupid. get your head out of your behind its for ur own good. LOL.

"and S4.. your esteemed opionion (about VWs) notwithstanding, these transmissions from MB and BMW will define ultra luxury sedans with a sporty flair with much better mileage (fundamentlaly what it is designed to do). "

What the hell are you talking about?

LOL, amazinbimmer.

I don't consider MB as ultra luxury, but I do consider, the Maybach (though made by MB)as ultra. You German fan clowns think the German 3 are the only luxury brands..u also think reliability doesn't matter. Why would u want to pay for something that breaks down all of the time. U might as well buy a used Yugo. By the way, I own 2 German cars and 2 Japanese. MB, BMW, Infiniti and Honda. half of you clowns wouldn't know luxury if you were buried in it.

sounds like someone else wants to open up an big Toyota 460 for more gears...lol