You can’t get your hands on the gear-iest transmission in the land without throwing some money around first.
Ford Motor Company announced today that it will spend $1.4 billion to produce their new 10-speed automatic for future F-150s, and invest $200 million into large truck production at its Ohio Assembly Plant.
The big bucks are bound for the Livonia Transmission Plant near Detroit, which makes Ford’s six-speed automatic transmissions and is gearing up to start 10-speed production this June. That unit will take up home in certain F-150 models, including the Raptor.
The 10-speed automatic was a joint venture between Ford and GM, designed for use in high-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive vehicles. Its first GM application will be in the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Ford’s Ohio investment will support the production of F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty chassis cabs.
Ford’s cash infusion was part of last year’s collective bargaining agreement with United Auto Workers. The company estimates it will allow for the creation or retention of 650 jobs, the bulk of them at Livonia.
More investment is coming under that four-year agreement, which requires Ford to commit to 8,500 hourly jobs in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky and New York. The company has 52,000 unionized workers.
[Image: Ford Motor Company]
No love for the Sharonville eh.
No. Sharonville is down on the list of places that get $$$. Livonia is where the big bucks go. Just like Lima gets engine dollars. They will still get investment as long as trucks sell. They got workers from Batavia too.
At least Ford seems to be throwing *some* money at US facilities. Seems all GM is doing is outsourcing to China. I know that’s not necessarily a fair statement, but it sure feels that way.
Where’s the GM version of this being manufactured? Toledo?
GM’s version will be built 12 miles away from Ford’s Livonia Transmission Plant in Romulus, MI.
I hope this causes Trump to eat his hair and then to choke on it.
LOL he’d more likely sue Ford for making him look wrong.
$140 million per gear – heh.
I can’t tell who makes those trucks. You’ll have to make the logo bigger.
Everyone in the original focus group took one look at guessed they were made by Tonka, which really annoyed some higher ups at Ford…..
Most of the populace that aren’t into the pickup truck scene, can’t tell them apart unless they spot the badging/logo.
Same with me and CUVs, plus other meaningless traffic. Ask me to identify one with the emblems removed and I’d really have to study it for a few seconds.
Transmission manufacturing is horrendously capital intensive. Serious precision machining centers for the gears, shafts, etc. A foundry, plus big die casting machines for the transmission cases. Challenging environmental issues from all of the above.
And Ford makes a shedload of trucks, so scale it all up severalfold.
True, and transmissions typically have a high percentage of in-house manufactured content.
not to mention the heat-treating of the gears.
I really want to like the new Raptor to possibly replace my ’12 SCrew, but 10 speed transmission and a 3.5L twin turbo? I dunno…maybe wait a year or three to see how that combo pans out.
The engine/transmission combo will make the last Raptor feel slow. Heck, this transmission with the 2.7TT will make the last Raptor seem slow. The 6.2 does make better noises though.
Too many gears. The 6-speeds are perfect, and with transmission programing already messed up by jumping to the highest gear for mpg purposes, I suspect more speeds will lead to more transmission issues due to the endless shifting.