What do the plus and minus signs on an automatic transmission mean?

[DeIker]

Automatic transmission plus and minus signs indicate manual mode. In manual mode, the driver can manually shift up or down, similar to driving a manual transmission vehicle, where the car will not automatically shift gears. Typically, only automatic transmissions with manual mode (often referred to as "manual-automatic" transmissions) will have these symbols. To use this feature, simply push the lever up or down. Automatic transmission generally refers to a car's automatic gear-shifting mechanism, where the transmission control system automatically selects the appropriate gear based on engine speed and load during driving, replacing the driver's subjective judgment of timing and gear-shifting operations. A typical automatic transmission car has six gear positions, from top to bottom: P, R, N, D, S, L.