Ford, GM to Collaborate on 9- and 10-Speed Gearboxes

Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. have agreed to co-develop a new family of 9- and 10-speed automatic transmissions.

The companies say they aim to reduce manufacturing costs by using identical hardware. The partners add that collaborating will cut engineering expenses and bring their designs to market faster.

Ford and GM say they have begun initial design work. But they didn't disclose when the first of the new transmissions will go into production.

The gearboxes will be designed for nearly all types of front- and rear-drive vehicles. Each will use its own software to tailor shift characteristics to suit its vehicles.

The two companies have teamed up twice before on transmission designs. Their co-developed family of six-speed automatics for front-drive vehicles, for example, has been used in more than 8 million vehicles worldwide.