Honda Motor Co. Ltd. to Invest $100 million in its Northwest Georgia Plant
According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. Ltd. will invest $100 million in its northwest Georgia plant to make the world’s first 10-speed automatic transmission for front-drive vehicles.
The 10-speed automatic transmission will initially appear in the 2018 Honda Odyssey minivan. The product will be rolled out to other Honda and Acura models over time.
Honda decided to put the new product line at its 400,000 square-foot transmission plant in Tallapoosa, Ga. because of its proximity to the automaker’s Odyssey factory in Lincoln, Ala., a spokesman said.
“The ability to select a more optimal gear setting improves fuel economy, allowing engine rpm to be reduced to 1,500 rpm at 62 mph, compared with 1,920 rpm on six-speed vehicles,” theHonda spokesman said.
The new transmission, designed in-house at Honda, provides a smoother ride and boosts fuel efficiency, the automaker claimed.
The transmission is expected to deliver a 14 percent improvement in highway passing and a 30 percent faster gear-change response time, according to Automotive Engineering. The 10-speed is also expected to boost the Odyssey’s fuel economy by at least 6 percent over the 6-speed.
