Chevy Engineers A Better Transmission Than Porsche

2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 (Credit: Chevrolet)

Everyone knows that German engineering is legendary, but that doesn’t mean German automakers always win. In a big chest-thumping moment for American engineering might, Chevrolet has announced that the new ten-speed automatic transmission on the Camaro ZL1 is actually faster than Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch transmission, according to an Autoblog report.

No doubt, people in Stuttgart are laughing and scrambling to find out more info, maybe at the same time. Porsche fans likely think Chevrolet is full of it. Considering the PDK is the best non-manual tranny out there, Chevrolet better be able to back up this claim.

Right now, only Chevy’s engineers have been able to test out the ten-speed transmission. They claim that compared to the PDK it shifts from first to second 36 percent faster, from second to third 27 percent faster, and from third to fourth 26 percent faster.

One key element to Chevrolet’s design is six clutches. Before you can select a gear, the transmission already has it ready, making it incredibly fast. The setup also includes a torque converter, just like other automatics. The transmission sounds like it will be fast and smooth.

Of course, for now we just have to take Chevrolet at its word. Once the ZL1 is in the hands of some professionals outside of the automaker, it’ll be interesting to see how the car and its transmission perform.