Toyota develops Direct automatic transmission for motorsport

Toyota is developing a new automatic transmission for motorsport, which is claimed to mimic a manual transmission. The project is aimed at involving more people in motorsport.

Japanese racing driver Hiroaki Ishiura, who called the new automatic transmission direct automatic transmission, said that the new gearbox

"Turns on from the moment you start and responds linearly to pressing the accelerator pedal, increasing the lap time without loss." "You can shave it", - said Ishiura, comparing the sensations of "slipperiness" and cuts from conventional automatic shaving. According to the driver, the direct automatic transmission also automatically shifts the gear down when cornering, feeling the hard braking.

The idea of a direct automatic transmission reportedly belonged to former Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, who was trying to make motorsport more accessible. Toyoda, who recently drove a GR yaris equipped with a direct automatic transmission in a five-hour race as part of the Japanese Super Daikushu series, noted that many people do not know how to drive with sticks, and said that "I want to spread the joy of driving." This is what prompted the creation of the project.

Saito said that work on the development of a direct automatic transmission began in the second half of 2020. It was tested at the 2021 rally, and a circuit race took place earlier this year.

The new transmission has not yet been approved for production, but Toyota seems to be aiming for a sports car, so if approved, it should have a home. The gearbox is designed for motorsport, but such an immediate feeling is attractive for Toyota sports cars, however, the company does not claim that it will appear in such cars.

To improve the automatic transmission of cars with internal combustion engines, Toyota is trying to introduce a manual transmission in sports electric vehicles. In 2022, there were many patent applications for manual transmissions for electric vehicles, which described in detail how cars could reproduce manual transmissions without multiple forward gears.