Ford significantly boosts 6-speed transmission output
Ford Motor Co. said it will double the number of six-speed automatic transmissions produced by the end of the year, and expects to install the more fuel-efficient gearboxes in 98 percent of its North American vehicles by 2012.
The transmissions, which will debut in 2009-model Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner crossover vehicles, offer 4 percent to 6 percent better fuel economy than four- and five-speed automatics, Ford said.
Ford is aiming to cut vehicle greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2020. Last year, the U.S. Congress mandated that all new cars and trucks must get a fleet average of 35 mile per gallon by 2020, up 40 percent from existing standards.
General Motors Corp. last month introduced a six-speed automatic transmission for its 2008 Chevy Malibu.
