U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Vehicle Technologies Office
Fact #719: March 19, 2012
Nearly 14% of New Car Sales have Continuously Variable Transmissions
Continuously variable transmissions (CVT) offer an infinite number of gear ratios that allow the engine to operate near peak efficiency throughout a wide range of vehicle speeds which improves fuel efficiency. The sales of vehicles with CVTs began slowly and have climbed to 13.8% of car and 5.3% of light truck market share. With CVT making up a relatively small percentage of all transmissions, changes to model offerings with CVTs can have a pronounced effect on the year to year percentages shown in the graphs below.
Market Share of New Cars and Light Trucks with CVT, Model Year 2001-2010 
Supporting Information
Market Share of CVTs, Model Year 2001-2010
| Model Year |
Cars |
Light Trucks |
| 2001 |
0.2% |
0.0% |
| 2002 |
0.4% |
0.0% |
| 2003 |
0.9% |
1.3% |
| 2004 |
1.4% |
1.0% |
| 2005 |
2.6% |
2.1% |
| 2006 |
2.4% |
3.4% |
| 2007 |
10.4% |
3.8% |
| 2008 |
11.5% |
4.0% |
| 2009 |
10.3% |
7.4% |
| 2010 |
13.8% |
5.3% |
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Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2011 Vehicle Technologies Market Report, Oak Ridge, TN, ORNL-TM-2011/016, February 2012.
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