2015 F-150 Mule at GM Milford Proving Grounds

A 2015 Ford F-150 prototype spotted on GM turf? Conspiracy? Not quite … more like collaboration. It was announced last year that GM and Ford were set to co-develop nine and 10-speed transmissions ahead of CAFE regulations beginning to tighten in 2016. The most reasonable explanation for this F-150’s visit to the GM Milford Proving Grounds is that this F-150 prototype is equipped with that jointly developed transmission.

So does this mark the beginning of cross-corporation badge engineering between GM and Ford? Of course not. By 2016 cars and trucks will have to average 34.1 mpg per CAFE rules … that’s a tall order, but it can be done if companies collaborate on fuel-saving technology, and that’s what you are seeing here in these spy shots.

via [PickupTrucks.com]