Rivals General Motors and Ford are disregarding competition. Both companies have decided to jointly develop nine and 10-speed automatic transmissions that could improve fuel efficiency. Alone, a company can do so little, but together, they can do a lot more. GM and Ford have recently signed an agreement to come up with new automatic transmissions together. This collaboration could save not only fuel, but also hundreds of millions of dollars and time. If each automaker would work independently, the development of new transmissions would be complex, cost a lot of money and take time.
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The new transmissions
The new transmissions are designed to improve the performance of GM’s and Ford’s cars, crossovers, trucks and SUVs. They will be offered for both front- and rear-wheel-drive variants. The new transmissions are anticipated to reach the market in 2016. According to Jim Lanzon, GM’s vice president of global transmission engineering, the transmissions are an important component of the companies’ efforts to meet upcoming standards for fuel efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions in the United States and Europe.
Statistics
- The average fuel economy of new vehicles (cars and trucks) increased by 6% in 2012.
- Fuel economy increased in seven out of the 11 car and truck manufacturers from Model Year 2010 to Model Year 2011. The seven manufacturers were Volkswagen, Mazda, Subaru, Nissan, BMW, Ford and Daimler.
Cars account for half of the transport sector’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The development of new transmissions would definitely improve our fuel economy. While major industry players are doing their part to boost fuel efficiency, we can also help. We can reduce the amount of CO2 emissions from cars worldwide. How? We can do this by practicing better driving habits. Drive within the speed limit, have properly inflated tires and safely driving at constant speeds when possible (like on interstates and highways).
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As a Kentucky Auto Accident Attorney, I encourage every motorist to drive sensibly. Operate your vehicle within the speed limit, remove unnecessary things from your car and refrain from excessive idling. On a side note, did you know that idling can use a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour? I know there a certain situations where you can’t help but idle, like you’re stuck in traffic or in a drive-thru line, but that’s a lot of fuel we could be saving! Another way you can help your fuel economy is to use cruise control when it’s safe. Doing all of these will help you save gas and money.