Some cars leave a paper trail; the GM 6T40 transmission left a name, a year — 2008 — and a place in GM (General Motors)'s list. What follows is what can be said with a source behind it.
Where it came from
The Hydra-Matic 6T40 and similar 6T30, 6T45, and 6T50 are transversely-mounted six speed automatic transmissions produced by General Motors. The 6T40, referred to in GM inner circles as the GF6, made its debut in the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, available with the 2.4 L LE5 Ecotec engine making 164 horsepower (122 kW), and has since also been made available on the Chevrolet Cruze, Daewoo Tosca and Buick LaCrosse. It features clutch-to-clutch shifting, eliminating the bands used on older transmission designs. GM chose an "on-axis" design as opposed to folding the gearset behind the engine and transferring power through the use of a chain, as is used in most other GM front wheel drive transaxles. The 6T45 differs from the 6T40 in its use of heavier-duty components, allowing it to handle engines with greater torque. The 6T40 and 6T50 are available in front-wheel drive configuration only (MH8 and MUK), with the 6T40 also being paired with eAssist (MHH), but the 6T45 will be adaptable to both front-wheel drive (MH7) and all-wheel drive (MHC).
The 6T50 is available in front-wheel or all wheel drive as well. The transmission is based on the larger 6T70/75, and is produced at Toledo, Ohio, as well as in China. Since 2008, these transmissions have been produced by GM Daewoo at the Boryeong Transmission Plant in Boryeong, South Korea. The facility is currently capable of producing up to 300,000 Hydra-Matic six-speed automatic transmissions annually. The transmission is also produced in Yantai, China. 6T30 is a recent more compact and lightweight variant used on 1.8 L engine equipped va
In context
In the GM (General Motors) line-up the GM 6T40 transmission has a clear place: it replaced the 4T40-E/4T45-E. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Tesla Roadster, the Nissan 370Z, the Volkswagen Tiguan. Nearby in the GM (General Motors) catalogue sit the 1955 Chevrolet and the 1957 Chevrolet.