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2015 Ford F-150 Prototype Spotted Leaving GM’s Milford Proving Ground

We’re sure you can imagine our general surprise when we learned that a prototype of the next-generation 2015 Ford F-150 pickup truck was recently spotted leaving General Motors’ Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan. But the presence of The Blue Oval’s next-gen truck on GM’s territory doesn’t seem that big of a surprise when we consider the fact that Ford and GM recently entered into a partnership to jointly develop nine- and 10-speed transmissions, making this collaboration the only reason (that we can think of) for the Ford to be on GM’s turf.

That said, we wonder why Ford drove the prototype to GM, rather than the other way around. After all, Ford has its own proving ground, making us ponder other possibilities for the Ford’s appearance that we don’t know about yet.

As far as GM is concerned, its all-new 2014 Silverado and 2014 Sierra, along with the 2015 Tahoe, 2015 Suburban, and 2015 Yukon, debuted with what many consider to be an outdated carryover six-speed gearbox. Even so, GM’s new trucks still manage to achieve respectable and sometimes class-leading fuel economy figures, but it’s undeniable that the upcoming jointly-developed transmissions are long overdue (for GM especially) and should help bring out the increased power of the trucks’ new line of EcoTec3 engines, while improving fuel economy even further. GM is expected to implement the new transmissions on 2015 model year K2XX-based vehicles, including the 2015 Silverado. On the competitive front, the next-gen 2015 F-150 will have one of these co-developed transmissions, while the Ram 1500 recently received an eight-speed gearbox.

Ultimately, GM, Ford, and other truck makers will need to noticeably improve their trucks’ fuel economy due to upcoming federal fuel regulations coming for 2016 and 2025 model year vehicles.

So, bring on the 9- and ten-speeds, GM (and Ford).

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Comments

  1. So will the GM trucks get an 8 speed or go right to the 10 speed?

    Reply
  2. David,

    There are NO 8 speeds

    9 speeds for cars

    10 speeds for trucks

    Reply
  3. Or did they just drove in just for fun??

    Reply
  4. I expect that GM did most of the design work on the tranny and Ford Engineers were there to make sure to get the things they needed.

    GM has always made the best transmission and with Ford sharing the cost it makes this much more affordable to get the tranny you want or need.

    I am sure GM engineers were working on tuning and may have wanted to use their own site since they are more familiar with the grounds to measure results.

    Just think two of the best selling lines are now working together. The numbers are staggering when you think about it. Savings vs numbers to be built.

    Reply
  5. Scott, G.M. is understood to have contributed the basic design of the new 9-speed for front-drive vehicles, while the 10-speed’s design for the trucks comes from Ford.

    Reply

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