The patent was filed in Japan, but no planned use for the transmission was mentioned
It seems Honda is one of those manufacturers aiming to prove more is better with a gearbox they apparently just patented in Japan. The sketches they provided supposedly showed an automatic gearbox with no fewer than 11 cogs and three clutches for good measure.
We heard about it from AutoGuide which also provided a link to the Japanese patents office, but now that link seems to be a dead end. It supposedly said the third clutch would “decrease torque removal” associated with double-clutch units, as well as enable “speed change to be more effectively restricted and a speed change response to be increased.”
The patent was published at the end of May with no clear scope as to which future car it will be used in. It’s probably not even fully developed yet, because when Honda will be close to launching it one way or another, they’ll make a big fuss about it online so that the scene becomes aware – we don’t seem to be close to that moment now, though, and it could still be years away.
Other manufacturers developing 11-speed self-shifting transmissions are Hyundai, Ford and Mercedes (although not ones with three clutches).