A Continuously variable transmission (CVT) is a transmission device that provides seamless speed ratio variation without shifting shock and power interruption during ratio shifting. Its reliability, ratio coverage, and maximum allowable torque have been greatly improved after decades of development, and are widely applied in today's on-road and off-road vehicles. To increase the ratio coverage and to enhance the torque capacity, various designs and systems have been proposed to combine the CVT with different mechanisms such as clutches and gear sets. In some system, the CVT is embedded in the hybrid system with multiple power sources in order to enhance the energy efficiency. This article first introduces the structure and principle of different types of CVT, then the special applications of CVT in the transmission system are specified, and finally, the structure of hybrid system with CVT is introduced.