Tech Trend 247

Seems like just yesterday when 7-speeds in an automatic transmission seemed like too many gears.

Ford's desert-racing F-150 Raptor pickup is getting a new 10-speed automatic transmission for 2017. Turns out, the Mustang might get that same gearbox for 2018.

A Ford dealer recently discovered a new Mustang transmission option on their system, codenamed 10R80, according to Mustang6g6.

Although the new transmission doesn't have a model or engine tied to it in the dropdown, it could well be mated to any one of the 'Stang's engines — from the new turbocharged four-cylinder to one of the pony's potent V8s.

Since it's going in the Raptor — and the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, it should be mentioned — we know the 10-er can handle lots of torque. That means it could be bolted into the high-performance Shelby GT350R, for example.

Ford and Chevy co-developed and are implementing 10-speeds into their model lines for fuel efficiency, plain and simple. Buyers still want fast-like-lightning American pony cars. At the same time, carmakers have to hit increasingly stringent federal fuel economy standards. Adding a ton of gears to a transmission keeps engine RPM low and fuel consumption equally low.

That said, this is a short-term fix for the fuel efficiency issue. In the longterm, Ford and others will have to hybridize and electrify more models in order to hit future mile-per-gallon standards. Would a hybrid Mustang be sacrilege? To some, perhaps. No matter, though, because it'll still be fast.

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