Couldn't have said it better myself, Klaus!

I think the future of the "efficient" transmission is in the use of CVT's, which employ a similar kind of function when stopped, and infinite gear ratios. We will see how long they actually hold up...I have driven a friends Altima with a CVT, and I can't stand it. The future of the "performance" transmissions are in the dual-clutch paddle-shift designs that can change gear faster than you blink, and as we've already seen, many automakers are beginning to phase out the good old-fashioned manual trannies at both high-end and common-place ends of the car-buying spectrum. You have no idea how hard it is to find something as common-place as an Accord in a stick shift. I also drove an Infiniti G37 that had either a 6-speed or 7-speed automatic. It was constantly futzing with gears, and it just made it downright annoying. Maybe I'll just have to live with my older car forever!