The variety of transmissions available for sale today is continuing to grow exponentially in the last 15 years, all while increasing in complexity. The result is usually that we are actually dealing with a varied amount of transmission types including manual, typical automatic, automated manual, dual clutch, constantly adjustable, split power and real EV.
Until extremely recently, automotive vehicle producers largely had two types of transmitting to pick from: planetary automated with torque converter or conventional manual. Today, nevertheless, the volume of options avaiable demonstrates the adjustments seen across the industry.
This is also illustrated by the countless different types of vehicles now being manufactured for the market. And not merely conventional automobiles, but also all electrical and hybrid automobiles, with each type needing different driveline architectures.
The traditional development process involved designing 
a transmission in isolation from the engine and the rest of the powertrain and vehicle. Nevertheless, this is changing, with the restrictions and complications of this method becoming more widely recognized, and the continuous drive among manufacturers and designers to deliver optimal efficiency at reduced weight and cost.
New powertrains feature close integration of elements like the primary mover, recovery systems and the gearbox, and in addition rely on highly sophisticated control systems. This is to make certain that the best amount of efficiency and efficiency is delivered at all times. Manufacturers are under increased pressure to create powertrains that are completely new, different from and better than the last version-a proposition that’s made more complex by the need to integrate brand components, differentiate within the marketplace and do it all on a shorter timescale. Engineering groups are on deadline, and the development process must be more efficient and fast-paced than previously.
Until now, the use of computer-aided engineering (CAE) has been the most common way to develop drivelines. This process involves parts and subsystems designed in isolation by silos within the business that lean toward tested Driveline gearboxes component-level analysis tools. While these are highly advanced tools that allow users to extract very dependable and accurate data, they are still presenting data that's collected without consideration of the whole system.
While this can produce components that work very well individually, putting them with each other without prior concern of the entire system can create designs that don’t work, resulting in issues in the driveline that are difficult and expensive to improve.