Chrysler Investing $266M Into 8-Speed Production
Chrysler is looking to expand production of its eight-speed automatic transmission.
The American automaker has announced that it’ll be investing $266 million into its Kokomo Transmission plant after the company had its 10-year tax abatement approved by elected officials in Kokomo, Indiana. Chrysler’s eight-speed transmission is built in Kokomo under license from ZF and will be used in all of the automaker’s rear-wheel drive vehicles except for the Dodge Viper and certain heavy-duty Ram pickup trucks.
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According to Chrysler, the eight-speed transmission helps improve fuel economy by nine percent compared to the older five- and six-speed transmissions. The company has invested over $1.5 billion into its Kokomo plants and is now the world’s largest producer of transmissions with about 7,600 employees.
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[Source: Automotive News]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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