Fuel efficiency is the name of the game these days, even for more high-powered sports cars. Aside from fuel-saving technologies like cylinder deactivation and even battery packs for added boost, automakers have been developing new transmissions, such as seven-, eight-, and even nine-speed units. It's only a matter of time until 10-speed units become available on many mainstream cars. And even cars like the Chevy Corvette will soon benefit from a new gearbox.

Sometime in the near future, the Corvette's six-speed automatic will be swapped out in favor of a new eight-speed unit, details of which are slowly beginning to leak out. This new gearbox will help the car produce as much as 738 lb-ft of torque and will have an overall ratio spread of 7.0, enabling the car to have faster acceleration times and save additional fuel. To keep weight to a minimum, the eight-speed unit will be composed of aluminum and magnesium. As far as new fuel economy numbers go, expect to see the eight-speed-equipped Corvette get as high as 30 mpg, up from the six-speed automatic's 28 mpg highway. The seven-speed manual returns 29 mpg.