Ford Motors and General Motors (GM), America's two biggest international automakers, have signed a partnership deal to develop the next generation of 9 and 10-speed automatic transmissions, which will boost vehicle performance and fuel efficiency, according to a joint press release.
The new 9 and 10-speed automatic transmissions for cars, crossovers, SUVs and trucks will be developed for both front and rear-wheel drive. The efficiency and enhanced performance of these transmissions will be showcased in smaller engines like in cars.
Both automobile giants have their engineers working to develop the new transmissions, but it is unknown when the advanced technology will be put in use. Once these new transmissions are tested, validated and delivered, both automobile companies will part ways to use the technology independently.
"Engineering teams from GM and Ford have already started initial design work on these new transmissions," said Jim Lanzon, GM vice president of Global Transmission Engineering. "We expect these new transmissions to raise the standard of technology, performance and quality for our customers while helping drive fuel economy improvements into both companies' future product portfolios."
According to the joint press release, Ford and GM have already partnered twice in the past decade for development of transmissions. Ford and GM's joint efforts in the past have been successful and helped them deliver "more than 8 million durable, high-quality 6-speed front-wheel drive transmissions to customers around the globe."
Both automakers have used the 6-speed front-wheel drive transmission in award winning products. Ford used the technology in Ford Fusion family sedan, the Edge crossover and the Escape and Explorer SUVs, while General Motors used it in Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Traverse, Chevrolet Equinox and Chevrolet Cruze.
"The goal is to keep hardware identical in the Ford and GM transmissions. This will maximize parts commonality and give both companies economy of scale," said Craig Renneker, Ford's Chief Engineer, transmission & driveline component & pre-program engineering. "However, we will each use our own control software to ensure that each transmission is carefully matched to the individual brand-specific vehicle DNA for each company."
Considering their past joint working experiences have paid off, both companies are positive about the success of their new transmissions, said Ford vice president of Powertrain engineering, Joe Bakaj.
