- Nissan says CVTs nonetheless have a task in small, light-duty automobiles.
- The corporate is already shifting greater fashions just like the Murano and Pathfinder to conventional automated transmissions.
- CEO Ivan Espinosa confirmed CVTs received’t be utilized in future efficiency automobiles.
Nissan has had its justifiable share of points surrounding its constantly variable transmission—often known as the dreaded CVT. In 2025, the corporate settled a class-action lawsuit with house owners, paying out $3 million to Maxima and Murano drivers and lengthening warranties on affected automobiles.
Even so, Nissan isn’t able to abandon the CVT completely. Talking with journalists on the firm’s headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, CEO Ivan Espinosa mentioned the transmission nonetheless performs a task—significantly in smaller automobiles. He notes:
‘The [CVT] nonetheless works in small automobiles—it’s a transmission that works nicely in light-duty automobiles, as much as C phase. We’ve improved the know-how loads.’
Photograph by: Nissan
On the identical time, Nissan’s CTO understands the CVT’s limitations. On heavier automobiles, for instance, Espinosa acknowledges that CVTs is probably not the very best match. He says:
‘We additionally understood that for heavier purposes, it is in all probability not preferrred, and that is why we moved to a standard transmission for the E phase.’
Nissan has already began making that shift. Newer variations of the Murano and Pathfinder, for instance, have changed their CVTs with extra refined nine-speed automated transmissions. That’s prone to proceed in upcoming fashions just like the Xterra, as nicely.
Photograph by: Nissan
In the case of efficiency fashions, Espinosa made the corporate’s place clear: CVTs received’t be a part of the equation. Espinosa states:
‘I am not gonna put a CVT in a Skyline… If I need to make an reasonably priced automobile that’s sporty, as an alternative of constructing a Spicy Sentra, I’ll in all probability go and make a Sylvia. A actual reasonably priced sports activities automobile.’
Motor1’s Take: That is nice information for CVT haters. The transmission will nonetheless serve a function in Nissan’s smaller, budget-friendly automobiles just like the Kicks and Sentra, however for bigger or extra performance-oriented fashions, the corporate is shifting in a distinct course.
