Multi-speed transaxle

A transaxle comprising:

• a transmission input member;
• a transmission output member;
• a housing having a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall extending between the first and second walls;
• a first, second, third and fourth planetary gear sets disposed within the housing, wherein the first planetary gear set is adjacent the first wall, the fourth planetary gear set is adjacent second wall, the second planetary gear set is adjacent the first planetary gear set and the third planetary gear set is between the second and fourth planetary gear sets, each planetary gear set having a sun gear member, a ring gear member, and a planet carrier member supporting a plurality of planet gears each configured to intermesh with both the sun gear member and the ring gear member, and wherein the ring gear member of the first planetary gear set is permanently coupled to the sun gear member of the fourth planetary gear set, the sun gear member of the first planetary gear set is permanently coupled to the sun gear member of the second planetary gear set, the planet carrier member of the second planetary gear set is permanently coupled to the ring gear member of the third planetary gear set, the planet carrier member of the third planetary gear set is permanently coupled to the planet carrier member of the fourth planetary gear set, the transmission output member is permanently coupled with the carrier members of the third and fourth planetary gear sets, and the transmission input member is permanently coupled with the carrier member of the first planetary gear set, and
• wherein the housing has a first area defined radially inward from an outer periphery of the planetary gear sets and axially bounded by the first wall and the first planetary gear set, a second area defined radially inward from the outer periphery of the planetary gear sets and axially bounded by the first and second planetary gear sets, a third area defined radially inward from the outer periphery of the planetary gear sets and axially bounded by the second and third planetary gear sets, a fourth area defined radially inward from the outer periphery of the planetary gear sets and axially bounded by the third and fourth planetary gear set, a fifth area defined radially inward from the outer periphery of the planetary gear sets and axially bounded by the fourth planetary gear set and the second wall, and a sixth area defined radially inward from the third wall and radially outward from the outer periphery of the planetary gear sets and axially bounded by the first wall and the second wall;
• a first clutch disposed in at least one of the first, second, third and fourth areas and is selectively engageable to interconnect the planet carrier member of the first planetary gear set with the sun gear member of the third planetary gear set;
• a second clutch disposed in at least one of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth areas and is selectively engageable to interconnect the ring gear member of the first planetary gear set with the sun gear member of the third planetary gear set;
• a third clutch disposed in at least one of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth areas and is selectively engageable to interconnect the ring gear member of the fourth planetary gear set with the sun gear member of the third planetary gear set;
• a first brake disposed in at least one of the first, second, third, fourth and sixth areas and is selectively engageable to interconnect the sun gear member of the second planetary gear set to the housing;
• a second brake disposed in at least one of the first, second, third, fourth and sixth areas and is selectively engageable to interconnect the ring gear member of the second planetary gear set to the housing, and
• wherein the clutches and the brakes are selectively engageable to establish at least eight forward speed ratios and at least one reverse speed ratio between the transmission input member and the transmission output member;
• a power transfer assembly having a first and a second transfer gear and a power transfer member, wherein the first transfer gear is rotatably fixed to the transmission output member and the second transfer gear is rotatably fixed to a final drive member and wherein the power transfer member rotatably couples the first and second transfer gears for transferring rotational energy from the first transfer gear to the second transfer gear;
• a final drive planetary gear set having a final drive sun gear coupled to the final drive member, a final drive ring gear coupled to the transmission housing and a final drive carrier member rotatably supporting a final drive plurality of pinion gears intermeshed with both the final drive sun gear and the final drive ring gear;
• and
• a differential gear set having a differential housing coupled to the final drive carrier member and having a pair of gears rotatably supported in the differential housing, wherein one of the pair of the gears is rotatably fixed to one of a pair of road wheels and the other of the pair of the gears is rotatably fixed to the other one of the pair of road wheels.