New 6-Speed Gearbox Designed for Improved Performance and Enhanced Fuel Economy
Strange bedfellows? Maybe so, but nevertheless Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. will invest a combined USD$720 million to develop and build an all-new, fuel-saving 6-speed automatic transmission destined for future compact and midsize front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles, as first reported in the fall of 2002.
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| General Motors' Vice President Powertrain Manufacturing Homi Patel along with United Auto Workers Vice President Richard Shoemaker unveil a revolutionary 6-speed, front-wheel-drive transmission Monday, April 19, 2004 at GM's Warren Transmission Plant in Warren, MI. (Photo: Joe Polimeni/General Motors of Canada) |
An update on the joint effort indicates production will take place separately, for GM at its Warren, MI transmission plant - that will incidentally save 1,100 jobs as a result of the new transmission - and for Ford at the Van Dyke facility in Sterling MI and Sharonville, OH plant.
Such cooperation is among the first major indicators that domestic automakers are getting serious about working together to thwart off import aggression. The two companies stated that working together will allow the transmission to arrive on the market faster while dramatically cutting costs.
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| Even though they'll will be using the same transmission, both Ford Focus and GM stated their respective new cars will have distinct driving dynamics. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
So, will a Ford Focus behave similarly to a Chevy Cobalt when the new transmission is installed? While there will be some similarities for sure, the companies stated that each will deliver distinctive characteristics with regards to "feel and performance," due mostly to different shift intervals being used to optimize each brand's unique engines.
The new 6-speed transmission will Ford and GM an edge over Chrysler and the imported brands, that currently offer 4- and 5-speed automatic transmissions, or continuously variable transmissions (CVT). More gears usually translate into quicker acceleration due to shorter shift intervals and the ability to maintain an engine's "sweet spot," the optimal rev range for maintaining highest output. Often 6-speed transmissions offer a taller high gear, which benefits fuel economy.