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maybe a clever systems based on what most big trucks use might be interesting.
basically a two gearbox system where one gearbox is in series with the other
if you'd place a two speed gearbox in line with a 3 speed you could have 3 low and 3 high gears.
i admit someone will need to do some serious number crunching to get the tight ratios and there'd have to be an well thought off mechanical or electronic linkage so that the average person is not confronted with a frankenstein's lab array of levers .
another thing i'm still rather intregued by was when i heared of something called a variamatic transmission.. i believe it was used by volvo a long time ago where basicaly some sort of belf was put over a pulley that consisted of two opposed conical pieces. to change the ratio the cones would simply move closer together makeing the effective pulleys diameter bigger or they'd move appart makeing the diameter smaller.... sounds like a simple method that gives you infinate gear ratios.
and it could be well addapted to makeing a semi automatic with manual inputs to up or downshift to give you manual like controle over the revvs, but at the same time withing such a virtual "gear" the computer could still make small adjustments so you can't lugg the engine. better still such a system is easily coupled to software maps for sport and eco modes etc, and if carmakers are really serious they'd allow for some "custom setting" or better still learnig mode that seeks for patterns in your driveing and adjusts the map to thos preferences but at the same time "bad" habits could be pointed out to the driver and more econimical prosedures advised...
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