Getrag and Ford: Working Together on Transmissions - just-auto.com Reports

    LONDON, Feb. 20 http://www.just-auto.com -- After
12 months of preparation, the joint venture between Getrag* and Ford that
began at the beginning of the month means there will be great change in the
transmissions arena.
    The report at http://just-auto.com/features_detail.asp?art=444 says that
the Getrag Ford Transmissions GmbH deal includes the initial total production
of 1.6 million manual gear boxes a year and a five year deal which sees a
large joint investment (more than US$0.5 billion) to develop a complete range
of next generation transmissions for Ford over the next five years.
    These new gearboxes will comprise six speed designs and the new
high-efficiency automated manual (AMT) concepts that are beginning to appear
on the market as a way to improve vehicle fuel economy and emissions,
something that Getrag was the first to market in 1996 when it produced a
sequential automated manual gearbox for the BMW M3.
    The Ford plants involved in the venture are Cologne, Halewood and the
Bordeaux manual plant in France but as these are already running close to full
capacity additional units are likely to be opened.

    * Full name: GETRAG Getriebe- und Zahnradfabrik Hermann
                  Hagenmeyer GmbH & Cie.

    For the full report see:
    http://just-auto.com/features_detail.asp?art=444

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