Ford and General Motors are reportedly joining forces in the development of new transmission technology. According to Automotive News, the partners are working together to design 9- and 10-speed automatic transmissions as part of efforts to improve fuel efficiency. They previously collaborated on a family of 6-speed automatic transmissions, which debuted in the 2007 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKS, Saturn Aura and Saturn Outlook, and are now offered across a wide range of models..
The report, citing three unnamed individuals familiar with the plans, claims that GM will oversee design of the 9-speed transmission targeted at use in front-wheel-drive vehicles. Ford will head development of the 10-speed transmission, designed for rear-wheel-drive vehicles. Work began earlier this year, and both OEMs remain in the design phase. The two transmissions are expected to be ready for production sometime around 2015.
A spokesman from General Motors confirmed to Automotive News that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Ford regarding transmission development. He said that a definitive agreement is expected in the near future.
Their compatriot Chrysler is poised to offer a 9-speed transmission next year, sourced from ZF and targeted for use in its small and mid-sized models. Chrysler already offers an 8-speed automatic, as does Audi, BMW and Lexus. In June 2011, Ford announced plans to offer new 8-speed automatic transmissions that promised a 2-6% fuel economy improvement compared to current 6-speeds, though Ford didn’t specify which models would get the new unit.
