Background

• Ford has produced its own transmissions, including manufacturing units at its Bordeaux Automatic transmission plant, in Blanquefort, France, since the company's inception in 1903. But it also has contracted services with other companies, most notably with Michigan-based Borg Warner Inc. and Getrag of Germany.
  
  

Ford/Mazda Relationship

• Ford and Mazda have have collaborated on projects since the 1970s when the two automakers developed the compact Ford Courier truck. In 2000, the automakers developed the electronic 4F27E 4-speed automatic transmission. It's designed for the transverse powertrains of front-wheel-drive cars and sport utility vehicles. The transmission employs six solenoids that are electronically controlled for sensitive shift feel as the vehicle changes speeds. The Ford Focus, Mazda Protégé, the Mazda3 and Mazda6 share the transmission.
  
  

Truck Transmissions

• For its 2011 F-250 to F-450 pickup trucks, Ford used the TorqShift six-speed automatic as standard equipment. The transmission is designed to deliver better fuel-efficiency, better low-speed torque for towing and a high-capacity fluid filter that requires fluid changes not until the truck reaches 150,000 miles. The transmission also can be used in manual mode that does not require a clutch. It also features a tow haul mode with an integrated exhaust brake for better downhill control. The transmission complements Ford's 6.7-liter turbo diesel V-8, according to Fordtrucksonline.com.
  
  

M5R2

• The lighter duty Ford F-150 series trucks feature the Mazda-built M5R2 five-speed automatic transmission. It was launched in 1988 and was still in use as of 2010. Its case is made of aluminum and comes in two- and four-wheel-drive versions. The transmission can accommodate the 4.2- and 4.6-liter Ford engines.
  
  

Aisin

• The Japan-based Aisin AI Co. began supplying Mazda with its six-speed manual transmissions in 2003 for Mazda's RX-8 sports car. Aisin transmissions have since found their way into Fords. Since 2005, Ford has equipped Aisin's six-speed automatics in the Ford Five Hundred, the Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Montego and Mercury Milan.
  
  

CVT

• Ford and ZF Friedrichshafen AG developed in 2003 Ford's first continuously variable transmission, CVT, at Ford's Batavia, Ohio, plant. The CVT is essentially a semi-automatic that can be switched to manual mode and shifted using steering wheel-mounted paddles. Conventional automatics transmit power from the engine using up to five fixed gears. The CVT has no clutch or gears and is electronically controlled to use an unlimited number of gear ratios to deliver optimum power and fuel-efficiency. The Five Hundred and the Ford Freestyle crossover station wagon are equipped with the CVT.