To factory-fill at one of more than 400 GM manufacturing facilities worldwide, or to sell GM-approved aftermarket ATF, suppliers need to gain the Dexron-VI blessing, and can do so in one of three ways.

First, they can be an original formulator with a new blend of base oil, additives and thickeners. The candidate ATF must pass a comprehensive set of tests at one of two approved independent labs in the U.S., which costs around U.S. $110,000. Twelve companies have this level of approval, although some have multiple formulations under license.

Second, they can be a reblender, which requires permission from the original license holder to blend its formula, with no deviation, plus a set of key tests that costs around $40,000.

Third, they can be a rebrander, which only requires permission from either an original license holder or reblend license holder to resell its licensed blends under one’s own brand.

In terms of both annual sales volumes and number of licensees, Dexron-VI is the most prominent trademarked brand of ATFs on the market, Zreik said. He estimated that close to 11 million gallons of Dexron-VI fluids are used worldwide, based on automatic transmission production volumes. While its largest markets are North America and China, GMs slice of the European pie is significant, too, albeit smaller.

Of the 2.5 million passenger cars with automatic transmissions sold in Europe in 2013 – which made for 21 percent of total European car sales – GMs European brands, Opel and Vauxhall, took 3 percent of a crowded market, narrowly behind Volvo and Toyota. Sweden, Finland, Germany and the United Kingdom sold the highest percentages of cars with automatic transmissions in 2013. Luxemburg had the highest of all European countries, with new automatic cars exceeding those with manual transmissions, at 63 percent.

There has been a great increase in licensing of Dexron-VI globally, Zreik said. From only about 20 licenses in 2006, GM has sold almost 200 individual licenses now. Zreik also addressed the false, meets universal specifications claims that some ATFs make. Various ATF specifications – GMs Dexron-VI and Fords Mercon V, for example – call for different formulations, he said, and if a fluids label boasts that the product meets them all, its not a trustworthy product.

Claims that aftermarket additives can uptreat an ATF to a better-quality fluid are also deceitful, Zreik said. The results always show that the claims are hilarious.

Zreik also spoke about the history of the Dexron trademark, which dates back to 1967. The initial Dexron specifications drain interval was just 25,000 miles, but that more than doubled with GMs introduction of Dexron-II in the 1980s, and again to 100,000 miles with the third iteration, Dexron-IIE, in 1989.

GM made Dexron factory-fill requirements more and more stringent as the years went by, leading to the current Dexron-VI, which it launched in 2005. With a fill for life goal, GMs most recent Dexron iteration requires a minimum drain interval of 150,000 miles for cars and light-duty trucks driven in normal service, which is 50,000 miles more than GMs previous specification, Dexron-III(H). For vehicles driven in severe use, the service change interval is 50,000 miles.

Longevity was not the only upgrade Dexron-VI offered, Zreik emphasized. Dexron-VI fluids improved clutch friction stability, clutch durability and fluid oxidation parameters by 100 percent or more beyond its immediate predecessor, he noted. The upgrade also required foam-and-aeration and shear stability measurements that are 150 percent and 200 percent better. Oil film thickness rose 20 percent to deliver significantly better wear protection, Zreik said.

General Motors earns a royalty on every gallon of Dexron-licensed product sold, but it does not charge anything directly; instead, the cost is built into the additive package needed to blend the product. All four of the leading global additive manufacturers – Afton Chemical, Chevron Oronite, Infineum and Lubrizol – offer Dexron additive packages.

Of the various formulations carrying Dexron-VI approval, Zreik noted that each type of base stock is represented – from API Group I, II and III, to polyalphaolefin based products and even those derived from gas-to-liquids technology. GM also has adapted the Dexron trademark throughout a broader portfolio of factory-fill and aftermarket drivetrain fluids, such as high-performance ATFs, dual-clutch transmission fluids, gear oils, hydraulic fluids – even automatic transmission seal conditioners.

With increasingly stringent transmission designs, GM has also developed its Dexron HP (high performance) specification category for ATFs with greater wear control, antifoam performance and oxidative stability, and lower viscosity to boost fuel economy. Despite being lighter, it is intended to go beyond 200,000 miles in the most advanced powertrains. This fluid is required for its new Hydra-Matic 8L90 automatic, an advanced eight-speed, rear- and all-wheel-drive transmission option available on GM’s full-size trucks and SUVs, as well as with the Chevrolet Corvette.

Hydra-Matic 8L90 is billed as being 5 percent more efficient than six-speed automatics by using smaller steps between gears, keeping the engine always within the sweet spot of the speed band. Its just as big, but instead of needing 13-liters of fluid like GMs previous six-speed models, it carries just 10.5 liters.

GMs and Dexrons next challenge? A 10-speed automatic transmission, and a corresponding ultra-low viscosity ATF specification. For more information on the Dexron-VI licensing program, go to www.gmpowertrain.com/VehicleEngines/dexron-vi.aspx.