The all-new 6R transmission will be used in a variety of future Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles from the 2006 model year, including sport-utility vehicles and rwd passenger cars. The new rwd transmission will join the X22F 6-speed f/awd automatic being developed with General Motors for mid- and large-displacement engines. General Motors will also introduce its own family of 6-speed rwd automatics in 2005.
Livonia will assemble the new transmission, and Sharonville will machine and assemble the transmission's gears. Sharonville will produce up to 7 million gears annually for the new transmission, and ship the assembled gears to Livonia for final assembly. Production of the new transmission will begin at the Livonia plant by the middle of 2005, with gear production also beginning at Sharonville in 2005. To build the new 6R, the Livonia plant is receiving:"What we are trying to do with the new vehicles we introduce is to maximize our impact in improving fuel efficiency thereby reducing CO2 emissions as well. These new transmissions provide an average of 4 to 8% improvement in fuel efficiency over a traditional 4-speed automatic, so this is a trend with environmental impact worth noting. By 2008 more than 60% of Ford's transmissions will be new, including new 6-speeds and continuously variable transmissions. Wherever we go … whatever we do … we will deliver for our customers. And we are going green."Jim Padilla, Ford Motor Company executive vice president
- A new final assembly and advanced testing area
- New case and valve-body machining lines
- New main control assembly line (routes hydraulic fluids)