An automatic variable-speed transmission for setting up a plurality of gear steps with an input shaft, an output shaft and two transmission units which form two parallel branches. One branch has a multi-step transmission and the other a summing transmission with a friction clutch for starting and for central synchronization, the friction clutch having a first friction element and a second friction element, one of the friction elements being connectable to various transmission elements by means of at least one shift element, with at least one first power command range for gear-step changes between low gear steps and at least one second power command range for at least the gear change into the highest gear step and for the highest gear step. In this case, the at least one shift element connects the one friction element to transmission elements such that there is reduced reactive-power flow in any operating mode.