Moparinsiders is reporting that the mass production of ZF's fourth-generation 8-speed automatic will begin in the 2022 calendar year. The supplier also announced that FCA has asked it to deliver its new 8-speed transmission for its rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive vehicles with front-longitudinal drive configuration (or front-engine, rear-wheel-drive based platforms). The new automatic is expected to play a big part of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and mild hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) lineup within the FCA portfolio, including the L-Series (Challenger and Charger) replacements which are slated to begin production around the same time frame. So it looks like the next-generation Challenger, in 2022, will have some sort of mild hybridization. The newest version of the 8-speed automatic will still have four planetary sets and five sets of shift elements, which means it will continue to be an ultra-reliable transmission while it is evolving and being improved. The highly anticipated 48-volt electrified MHEV version is expected to have a ranking between 440 lb.-ft and 735 lb.-ft of torque available, while the PHEV version is expected to bring up 330 lb.-ft of torque. Due to all the improvements made, the fourth-generation 8HP series will be able to be coupled with an engine as small as 1.8-liters of displacement, depending on the application and transmission version. This means FCA could have a wider variety of engine and transmission combinations that can be used for their rear-wheel-drive based applications both domestically and abroad as emissions rules and regulations change.
