>> Wouldn't CVTs allow for maximum acceleration ? You can vary the wheel speed while keeping the engine rpm at its max power level.
This is basically true.
>> IMO, "CVT" is a misnomer since the transmissions being developed by automakers still have distinct numbers of "gears" (i.e., ratios) to use. It seems like the CVT's in development are just an evolution of the traditional automatic transmission.
That is not true.
_Some_ of the new CVTs "simulate" having discrete gears by having computer software jump to discrete ratios on the CVT... Why do they do this? Because like many new automotive technologies, many drivers are baffled by something "too different"... There really isn't any practical benefit to having you shift the CVT to discrete ratios, but consumers say "hey, I can relate to that - it seems familiar" - so they are offering it that way.
CVTs are exciting because new implementations (toroidal for example) are solving the "low power, high noise" issues that kept earlier designs from becoming commonplace.