The 2007 Saturn Aura wil receive the first fruit of GM's transmission development pact with Ford, the Hydra-Matic (retro!) 6T70 six-speed automatic. The system — which we had heard has three planetary gearsets and five clutches — can be used in front- and rear-wheel-drive vehicles at maximum revs of 7000rpm and max horsepower of 315 and torque of 280lbs/ft., making it ideal for the midsized Aura. Company officials say the co-development sped time to market and cut development costs nearly in half. GM recently announced a plan to produce three million six-speed automatics annually by 2010. Of course, by 2007, the seven speeds will start to trickle out, and GM will be at sixes and sevens once more.

Related:
Carmakers Push Toward Eight-Speed Transmissions [internal]

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