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.

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