2014 Range Rover Evoque - Land Rover To Debut Nine-Speed Automatic Transmission At The 2013 Geneva Auto Show

Land Rover is expected to debut the 2014 Range Rover Evoque at the 2013 Geneva auto show this month.

The new vehicle will be one of the first of its kind on the market to feature a nine-speed automatic transmission.

The 2014 Evoque is expected to go on sale in the fall, according to an Edmunds report.

But how much the new technology will cost a potential buyer remains unknown.

"We don't have 2014 Evoque pricing," said Wayne Kung, Land Rover spokesman.

With the addition of the nine-speed transmission, the next generation of the Evoque--which is already the most fuel-efficient Range Rover--is expected to be of the most fuel-efficient transmissions out there.

The current Evoque model (2013) is outfitted with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 240 horsepower paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.

And the change from six to nine gears not only improves the already efficient Land Rover model, it also increases driving performance.

"Increasing the number of gear ratios from six to nine gives significant improvement in fuel economy and a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions," Land Rover said in a statement. "Smaller ratio steps give improved response during acceleration, improved shift quality, drive and refinement. The higher top gear not only reduces fuel consumption but the lower engine revs improve comfort and reduce noise when cruising at high speed."

Fuel economy values have not yet been released by Land Rover, but as a point of reference, the current Evoque gets 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.

(SOURCE)