USA TODAY: The biggest two of Detroit Big 3 automakers, General Motors and Ford Motor, are joining in an rare collaboration to develop advanced automatic transmissions, they disclosed Monday.
The normally two bitter rivals have signed an agreement to jointly develop a new generation of transmissions that will have nine and 10 speeds, a leap from today’s tranmissions which usually don’t have more than eight, and usually more like six…
The two companies didn’t make clear why they felt they need to work together, but they could be feeling the heat from other makers that are rushing their own transmission development. Detroit’s other big one, Chrysler, has announced plans for nine-speed transmissions. In fact, they have already started announcing models that will get them, like a new model, the Jeep Cherokee. The off-road model replaces the small Jeep Liberty. Chrysler is controlled by Italy’s Fiat, which may be seen as posing a technology challenge to its two bigger established competitors… (more)
