“Five years ago, when Chrysler Group announced that it would build the nine-speed automatic transmission in Indiana, it was a huge vote of confidence in the skills, knowledge and expertise of our local workforce, especially because ITPI would be the first plant ever to build the nine-speed,” said FCA North America Vice President of Manufacturing Brian Harlow.
The transmission, designed by Germany’s ZF Group, is found in several front- and all-wheel-drive models in the FCA lineup. Kokomo Casting produces castings for the new transmission; Kokomo Transmission machines the prismatic parts – housings, blocks and heads; and ITPI produces the rotating parts – gears and cranks. All components are then shipped to Tipton for final assembly.
The Tipton-built nine-speeds are sent to Toledo, Ohio, for use in the Jeep Cherokee and to Sterling Heights, Mich., for the Chrysler 200, as well as to FIAT plants in Melfi, Italy and Pernambuco, Brazil for the Jeep Renegade; the TOFAS plant in Bursa, Turkey for the Ram ProMaster; and China.
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