The Bugatti Veyron’s transmission has seven forward gears. It is a seven-speed Ricardo dual-clutch automatic gearbox designed to handle the extreme output of the Veyron’s quad-turbocharged W16 engine.
The transmission uses two clutches and two gear paths, allowing the next ratio to be selected before the current gear is disengaged. This arrangement helps the Veyron shift rapidly while maintaining power delivery. The gearbox can operate automatically or through steering-wheel-mounted magnesium paddles, giving the driver manual control without a conventional clutch pedal.
The Veyron’s transmission is sometimes confused with Volkswagen’s mainstream DSG units. Both are dual-clutch designs, and the name DSG is used broadly in Volkswagen Group discussions, but the Veyron gearbox was built by Ricardo of England rather than BorgWarner, which developed major Volkswagen DSG applications. The seven forward ratios were part of the engineering needed to balance acceleration, high-speed cruising and the W16’s enormous torque.