GM 6L transmission
| 6L 45 · 6L 50 · 6L 80 · 6L 90 | |
|---|---|
A Hydra-Matic 6L 80 transmission at the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | General Motors |
| Production | 2005–2023 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | 6-Speed Longitudinal Automatic Transmission |
| Related | Aisin AWTF-80 SC Ford 6R ZF 6HP |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | 5L 40-E · 5L 50 |
| Successor | 8L 45 · 8L 90 |
The 6L XX family is a series of 6-speed longitudinally-mounted automatic transmissions produced by General Motors. The 6L 80 and 6L 90 were assembled at GM Powertrain plants in Ypsilanti, MI (Willow Run Transmission), Toledo, Ohio (Toledo Transmission) and Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico, while the smaller 6L 45 and 6L 50 were produced at those same Toledo and Silao plants, as well as at a GM Powertrain plant in Strasbourg, France. All four models feature clutch to clutch shifting, eliminating the one-way clutches used on older transmission designs.
It uses a Lepelletier gear mechanism, an epicyclic/planetary gearset, which can provide more gear ratios with significantly fewer components than prior models could.
The series was first launched with the 6L 80 in the 2006 Cadillac STS-V, with the remaining three versions all first appearing in 2007 model year vehicles. The 6L 90 was a strengthened and uprated version of the 6L 80, used primarily in heavy-duty truck/van applications. The 6L 50 was used on V8-powered versions of the Cadillac STS sedan and Cadillac SRX crossover, and replaced the 5L 40-E and 5L 50 in GM's lineup. The 6L 45 was a smaller version of the 6L 50, used in certain BMW vehicles and the Cadillac ATS, as part of either rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive powertrains.