NEW YORK –Allison Transmission Holdings Inc., Dana Holding Corporation, and Fallbrook Technologies Inc. announced the formation of strategic relationships to develop, manufacture, and commercialize high-efficiency transmissions for passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and off-highway equipment. These next-generation transmissions will be designed to increase fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and improve overall vehicle performance, according to the companies.

Fallbrook's NuVinci CVP technology, which enables designers to reduce the complexity of transmissions, superchargers, and other powertrain systems, and allows the engine to operate at more efficient speeds, will be licensed to Allison and Dana.

Through its licensing agreement, Allison gains the exclusive right from Fallbrook to utilize its CVP technology to develop and commercialize primary drivetrain transmissions for Allison's end markets, which could include commercial vehicles, military applications, and certain off-highway and large stationary equipment markets.

Under a separate agreement, Dana will hold an exclusive license from Fallbrook to engineer and produce transmission components and other advanced powertrain solutions with the NuVinci CVP technology for passenger and certain off-highway vehicles in the end markets that Dana serves.

For the end markets Allison Transmission serves, Dana and Allison have signed a letter of intent to explore a strategic alliance through which Dana would exclusively manufacture transmission components with NuVinci CVP technology for Allison.

Fallbrook's proprietary NuVinci CVP technology is a traction-based class of continuously variable transmission that is scalable and highly adaptable, according to the company. It controls relationships of speed and torque and is applicable to mechanical devices that have a transmission or can benefit from speed or torque variation. The NuVinci transmission uses a set of rotating balls between the input and output components of a transmission. Tilting the balls changes their contact diameters and varies the speed ratio.

Full-scale production of off-highway transmissions with NuVinci-equipped components in Dana's served markets is expected within the next three to five years, while implementation in passenger and commercial vehicles is anticipated before the end of this decade.