Multi-step automatic gearbox

An automatic transmission for a motor vehicle, comprising:

• a housing;
• a drive shaft;
• an output shaft;
• a plurality of planetary gear sets, each planetary gear set of the plurality of planetary gear sets having three elements;
• six shift elements, selective engaging of which brings about different transmission ratio relationships between the drive shaft and the output shaft;
• a first shaft constantly connecting a first planetary gear set of the plurality of planetary gear sets to a fourth planetary gear set of the plurality of planetary gear sets;
• a second shaft constantly connecting a second planetary gear set of the plurality of planetary gear sets to a third planetary gear set of the plurality of planetary gear sets;
• a third shaft constantly connecting the third planetary gear set to the first planetary gear set;
• and
• wherein the drive shaft is constantly connected to the fourth planetary gear set, the output shaft is constantly connected to the third planetary gear set, the first planetary gear set is directly connected to two shift elements of the six shift elements, the second planetary gear set is directly connected to four shift elements of the six shift elements, the third planetary gear set is directly connected to two shift elements of the six shift elements, the fourth planetary gear set is directly connected to four shift elements of the six shift elements, the drive shaft is directly connected to one shift element of the six shift elements and the output shaft is directly connected to one shift element of the six shift elements.