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Re: GM Trannies in New BMW's

Robert Charles wrote:

<snip>

>> I do not remember exactly WHICH manufacturers were using GM trannies, but I
remember that they were pretty well respected names in the industry (i.e. NOT
Hyundai  :-)  ) <<

<snip>

Hmm,  how ' bout Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston-Martin, and Jaguar (in the XJR).
Yup, I know the last two are Ford subsidiaries -  but that's the way it is. The
GM TH 400R4, 4L60E and 4L80E automatics are widely respected in the industry for
more than just Cadillac shift characteristics -  ;-))  - (e.g., reliability,
integration with engine management controls, choice of shift modes, etc)

This less a matter of inbreeding than the economy of parts bin globalization.
Why?  Because they're proven commodities that  perform their intended functions
to manufacturer specifications and it's more cost effective to purchase from GM
than to commission the design, tooling, and production of something similar
elsewhere.

As Henri Baccouche notes,  the 3 series/Z3/528i share the GM THM R1-AR35
"Strasbourg" transmission with the both the Opel and it's Cadillac Catera clone.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of this particular application in a BMW;
preferring the manual gearbox to maintain the cars' sporting characteristics.
However, IMHO, those who have need of an automatic shouldn't be deterred just
because the transmission happened to be made by GM - you're in some pretty good
company.   :-) 

Bob Wicker
'95 540i Sport
BMWCCA #129774