Continuously Variable Transmission.

This is a type of automatic transmission that essentially uses a cone and belt instead of sets of gears to transmit power from the engine to the wheels.

As a result, there are no regular shifts, just a constant and unbroken (“stepless”) progress as the engine maintains constant revs.

However, to ward off some buyer resistance to the monotonous drone of a traditional CVT, some manufacturers engineer artificial ‘stepped ratios’ to mimic a regular automatic’s characteristics.

Hence the Honda Jazz has a “seven-speed CVT”.