Ford and General Motors Get Together to Work on Nine- and Ten-Speed Automatic Transmissions

The most forward speeds a production car with an automatic transmission right now is eight. Now, Ford and GM are collaborating to develop and produce 9- and 10- speed transmissions for both front-wheel-drive cars and rear-wheel-drive cars.

More speeds in a transmission will better ensure efficiency and power by keeping the engine in the optimal RPM range.

The nine-speed transmission will be used in front-wheel-drive cars, and the ten-speed transmission will be used in rear-wheel-drive cars. To ensure each transmission will work well with the brands' cars, the transmissions will be unique software.

This isn't the first time Ford and GM have teamed up to make a transmission. Since 2002, Ford and GM have been working on a six-speed automatic for front-wheel-drive cars. And they aren't the first to develop transmission with more than eight speeds either; Chrysler has had a partnership with ZF to make nine-speed transmissions, and the first vehicle to utilize it will be the 2014 Jeep Cherokee.

Comments

2003 Honda Odyssey EX-L Review

These pictures aren't of the actual vehicle, but the colors and trim level are correct. Those of you who have been following this blog since its inception know that my parents have two cars: a 2006 Nissan Sentra and a 2005 Mazda MPV. Well, we recently swapped our dear little MPV for a 2003 Odyssey. The reason for that is, well, there isn't much reason. It's mostly to spice things up in our lives and have a different car for a change without spending any extra money. Our Odyssey came with every bell and whistle you could get in a minivan in 2003, including a factory-installed DVD entertainment system, leather seats, heated seats in the front, and dual power sliding doors. First impressions were a mixed bag. The engine was very smooth, quiet, and powerful, apparently typical of Hondas, but there was a rough patch between 1000 and 1500 RPM or so. You can't feel the road textures at all while driving the car, but it crashed loudly over larger bumps. Loud can als...

Big News: We Bought a New Car!

It is an exciting day for me! As the title says, my family bought a new car! We haven't done that since 10 years ago when we bought our 2006 Nissan Sentra. There it is, parked on the driveway right after we drove home from the dealership. Isn't the color so nice? The interior is beige, too! It's the perfect color combination. Getting that car to be on our driveway, though, was a laborious and drawn-out task. We started car-shopping yesterday morning, when my dad and I test drove the Camry and Accord. At first, we headed for the Ford dealer intending to test drive the Taurus and Fusion, but it shunned us by saying that it was "too busy for test drives." There were maybe two other people at the dealership then. Whatever. We then headed to a semi-rural Honda dealership in search of an Accord. I was expecting it to be loud and firm-riding in traditional Honda fashion. Instead, it impressed me with its solidity. Unfortunately, the specific Accord ...

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Power Figures Released

When the new Corvette Stingray debuted at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, its base 6.2-liter V-8 was estimated to produce 450 horsepower. Now, official numbers have come out. The 6.2-liter V-8 puts out 455 horsepower and 460 pounds-feet of torque. With the optional performance exhaust, it puts out 460 horsepower and 465 pounds-feet of torque. The old V-8 only produced 430 horsepower and 424 pounds-feet of torque. Chevrolet says the new Corvette Stingray will be able to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 4 seconds. It also says that the new Corvette Stingray will exceed 26 miles per gallon on the highway for the EPA fuel economy rating. That, however, is still just an estimate. If you're wanting to buy the new Corvette Stingray, you better save up. The starting price will be $51995, including destination, and that is a finalized number.

From the Passenger's Seat

Search This Blog