It's only recently that Nissan's been able to handle higher power levels through their CVT's, but they have been making CVT's for smaller displacement engines, for a while...
No more talk, here's a press release from Nissan, from 1999 at http://www.nissan-global.com
99/10/01
Nissan Develops New HYPER CVT for 1.0- to 1.3-liter Class Cars
Scheduled for Adoption on a Compact Car This Autumn
Nissan Develops New HYPER CVT for 1.0- to 1.3-liter Class Cars
Scheduled for Adoption on a Compact Car This Autumn
Tokyo - Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the development of a new HYPER CVT continuously variable transmission for application to cars powered by 1.0- to 1.3-liter class engines. This latest CVT unit is scheduled to be adopted on a compact car this autumn in Japan.
Continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) take advantage of their capacity for an unlimited number of gear ratios to provide exceptionally smooth derivability and powerful acceleration. Moreover, because CVTs reduce fuel consumption, they have also attracted widespread attention as a transmission technology for protecting the global environment. Nissan first implemented CVT technology on production vehicles in 1992 with the application of the N-CVT to the March. In 1997, Nissan developed the HYPER CVT as the world's first CVT capable of being paired with 2.0-liter class engines. Over the years, Nissan has continued to expand the application of CVTs to an ever-wider range of car models.
The newly developed HYPER CVT for application to 1.0- to 1.3-liter class cars is a further improvement on the N-CVT that has so far been used on the March and other models fitted with 1.0- to 1.3-liter engines. Additionally, it continues the superior performance of the 2-0-liter class HYPER CVT in a lighter, more compact design. A torque converter is used as the start-off element and full electronic control of ratio changes is also featured. As a result, besides providing substantially improved power performance and derivability over the N-CVT, the new HYPER CVT also achieves a further reduction in fuel consumption. Moreover, a multi-speed manual shift mode has also been added to the specifications to satisfy customers who want to enjoy the pleasure of sporty driving with manual shifting.
Nissan has continued to lead other manufacturers in the development and application of CVTs, notably the EXTROID CVT, representing the world's first implementation of CVT technology on rear-wheel-drive cars fitted with large displacement engines, and the HYPER CVT for use on front-wheel-drive vehicles of the 2.0-liter class. The addition of this new HYPER CVT for application to 1.3-liter class front-wheel-drive cars further expands Nissan's lineup of outstanding CVTs.
Major features of the new HYPER CVT for use on 1.0- to 1.3-liter class cars
The adoption of a torque converter markedly improves start-off acceleration, operating ease when taking off on uphill slopes and derivability at very low vehicle speeds.
Full electronic control of ratio changes achieves optimum driving performance matching the driver's intentions when accelerating and decelerating.
Fuel economy is significantly improved. (Compared with the existing N-CVT, fuel economy is further improved by approximately 10%.)
The addition of a multi-speed manual shift mode enables drivers to enjoy the sporty driving performance associated with manual shifting.
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