New Rear-Wheel-Drive Mopars to get 8-Speed ZF Automatic

The new ZF Eight-Speed. Image: Allpar

It appears that further highly advanced ZF transmissions are headed for new Mopars as Allpar is reporting that the new Charger and 300 will get an 8-Speed automatic ZF transmission when equipped with V6 engines. This appears to be a trend with Chrysler as we reported to you previously on the new ZF Nine Speed that will make it’s way into new front-wheel-drive Chrysler vehicles. At present it appears that the Charger R/T, 300C, Challenger R/T, and any SRT8 versions of the cars will continue on with their existing 5-speed Mercedes automatics for the 2012 model year.

At this point it is not yet clear as to the reasoning Chrysler has in only replacing the transmissions of the V6 models. It may be that Chrysler is attempting to wring out the highest fuel efficiency possible with the V6 model first, as the new 8-speed transmission will obviously up it’s miles per gallon by a noticeable percentage. (The 9-speed ZF automatic headed for the V6 front-wheel drives is said to have the potential of increasing fuel economy by up to 10%.) It could also be that they may simply not have identified a suitable automatic transmission replacement that can handle the horsepower and torque output of the V8 cars.

Either way it would appear that Chrysler is establishing a pattern in continuing to improve their drive lines, so we’ll keep watch for the next announcements.

About the author

Robert Kibbe

Robert Kibbe is the owner of TheMuscleCarPlace.com and host of the weekly Muscle Car Place podcast show. He's based in Ames, IA, is married with 3 kids, and still thinks the General Lee is cool.
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