Ford Motor Co. and General Motors have announced a joint project developing all-new 9-speed and 10-speed transmissions for a more efficient future line-up of vehicles.
According to sources that are familiar with the project, the transmission program had already earlier this year when the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding "to jointly develop a variety of all-new, fuel-efficient transmissions." GM has taken the lead on designing a front-wheel-drive 9-speed gearbox while Ford Motor Co. will be leading the development of the rear-wheel drive 10-speed transmission. Still in its design phase, industry observers believe the new transmissions will not be ready for production until 2015.
As with all alliances among automakers, the latest transmission projects are expected to create significant financial savings in engineering as well as product development for both GM and Ford Motor Co.
The latest venture between GM and Ford were in response to the aggressive range of technical advances and innovations that have been introduced by competing manufacturers in the automotive industry.
Mercedes-Benz was one of the first companies to develop a 7-speed transmission while Audi, BMW, and Lexus have all begun to offer 8-speed gearboxes. What's more, Chrysler Group formed a joint venture with ZF Friedrichshafen to introduce an 8-speed trnsmission for the Chrysler 300 sedan and Ram pickup. In fact, the joint venture will also promise a new 9-speed transmission licensed by ZF as well.
Clearly, the automotive industry is entering the age of the "transmission wars." According to Mike Omotoso, a powertrain analyst for the Detroit-based LMC Automotive, additional gears in a transmission offer better fuel efficiency. "The engine has to do less work, so they aren't revving as much as they used to with fewer forward gears," he said.
While GM and Ford's latest 9-speed and 10-speed transmissions will certainly be all-new, the alliance itself certainly isn't. General Motors and Ford Motor Co. first signed a deal to develop transmissions back in 2002 for a family of 6-speed gearboxes intended for front-wheel-drive vehicles.
To date, the basic architecture of said transmission can be found in popular vehicles including the Ford Fusion and Escape as well as the Chevrolet Malibu and Cruze.
Stay tuned as we learn more about the next-generation transmissions from the American automakers.
[Source: AutoNews]
