(June 17, 2014) AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Chrysler Group says fuel savings and emissions reductions attributed to TorqueFlite eight-speed transmissions are adding up to substantial gains for Chrysler Group customers. The advanced-technology automatics — first of their kind ever made available to mainstream-brand customers — now are powering more than one million vehicles, worldwide. And their combined effect is staggering.

Chrysler says that over their lifetimes, vehicles equipped with TorqueFlite eight-speed transmissions are projected to save their owners more than 700 million gallons of fuel, compared with their predecessors that featured five- or six-speed automatics. That quantity of gasoline is worth approximately $2.5 billion at the pump, based on current fuel-price forecasts.

TorqueFlite eight-speed transmissions in model-year 2014 vehicles also contribute to 19 Chrysler Group fuel-economy or driving-range benchmarks across four vehicle segments.

“This is precisely the kind of impact we targeted with the TorqueFlite program,” says Jeffrey Lux, vice president and head of Transmission Powertrain. “And we fully expect this momentum to continue as we expand availability.”

Starting in model-year 2015, the TorqueFlite 8HP70 transmission can be paired with HEMI-equipped Dodge Chargers, Challengers and Challenger SRTs.

When the TorqueFlite 8HP45/845RE made its debut in model-year 2012 as the world’s first eight-speed available outside the luxury market, the transmission was mated exclusively to Chrysler Group’s award-winning 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 in the Charger and Chrysler 300 lineups.

Since then, the TorqueFlite 845RE and 8HP70 have migrated, respectively, to Pentastar- and HEMI-powered versions of the Dodge Durango, Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee lineups. The 8HP70 also  serves EcoDiesel versions of the 1500 and Grand Cherokee.

With the introduction of the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, the TorqueFlite transmission family adds its third member — the 8HP90 high-performance automatic that affords greater torque capacity than any eight-speed previously offered by Chrysler Group.

Depending on the application, a TorqueFlite transmission can account for fuel-economy improvements of up to nine percent, compared with a more conventional automatic.

“The TorqueFlite’s wide 7.03 ratio spread is the reason it can deliver such superior performance,” Lux says. “This enables engines to operate at peak efficiency in a broader range of driving conditions.”