Ford plans to put 6-speed gearboxes in most products, says President Mark Fields.

Ford Motor Co. plans to spend $850 million over the next two years to make six-speed transmissions standard across its product line while adding 1,200 jobs at transmission and axle plants in Michigan during the same timeframe.

Mark Fields, Ford president of the Americas, said the big investment reflects the company’s commitment to competitively grow its engineering and manufacturing employee base, upgrade its facilities in the state and further improve its vehicle fuel economy.

“Fuel economy and technology are consumers’ biggest priorities — and we have made them Ford’s as well,” said Fields, adding Ford’s Dearborn Truck plant and Livonia Transmission plant also will be upgraded under the investment plan.

(Ford reports best third quarter since 1990. Click Here for that report.)

The investment will create up to 1,200 new full-time positions in manufacturing and engineering operations in Michigan by 2013, Fields said.

The company expects approximately 900 of the jobs will be hourly positions and the remaining 300 will be salaried positions within its engineering and manufacturing operations.

Last week, Ford committed to bringing on some 250 workers at the Dearborn Truck plant. The positions were filled by workers idled when production was reduced at the Auto Alliance plant in Flat Rock, which builds both Mazda and Ford vehicles.

Most of the new investment is dedicated to engineering and production of Ford’s new six-speed transmissions, which are planned for many future Ford vehicles and built at the Livonia Transmission and Van Dyke Transmission plants.

By 2013, 100% of Ford vehicles will incorporate a six-speed transmission as part of the company’s commitment to leadership in fuel economy performance in all vehicle segments, Fields said.

Fields said the move to six-speed transmissions builds on the $950 million investment the company previously announced in Michigan to transform the Michigan Assembly Plant from a large SUV factory to a state-of-the-art car plant, which will build the new Focus and the company’s battery-electric Focus, as well as its next-generation hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, all planned for launch at Wayne by 2012.

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