![]() Some new cars that aim to project a technology-forward image, such as General Motors Co.’s Konzuk, who lives in Edmonton, Alberta, and uses his truck for work, says the new eight-speed transmission is “smooth as silk.” But he couldn’t accept the dial. Shane Konzuk, 44 years old, says he special-ordered a 2013 Ram pickup with a six-speed transmission to avoid the rotary-shift feature. The Range Rover Evoque's gear shift is a knob that extends from the center console when the sport utility starts up. The Ram’s rotary shifter has garnered praise from some participants in online discussions. Among the details: How to calibrate the catch points, or detents in engineering-speak, that signal a driver who’s not looking at the knob when it’s clicked past reverse or neutral. “We spent more time on that knob than any knob I’ve worked on,” Mr. ![]() The new, lightweight controls do the job because automotive engineers are increasingly getting rid of the nuts, bolts and cables that once were connected to the gear box and instead are designing transmissions that use electronic circuits, switches and relays to control gear shifts.Ĭhrysler chief designer Ralph Gilles said designers for the Ram and other Chrysler models that are ditching shift levers experimented with several approaches before settling on the Ram’s “rotary e-shift” design. Some car companies-but not all-are replacing traditional gear shifters in automatic-transmission vehicles with knobs, push buttons or small levers, freeing up precious real estate in vehicle cabins for extra storage bins, smartphone cradles, bigger cupholders or multimedia controllers. The shift lever-a device familiar to generations of car buyers-is undergoing a rapid evolution. ![]()
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