TOROTRAK REVVING UP

The qustion I would ask Fred , Ford ,for instance , don't now make their own transmission , they are supplied by Getrag/Ford , which although still having the Ford name attatched to it , is actually a stand alone company ,even though it is refered to as a Joint Venture.
When the jv was set up , a few years ago now , contracts were drawn up for the supply of transmissions for the next ,,so many years ,,and that a new 6 speed box would be produced , the IB6 , which will go into Ford cars early 2004.
The production line for the IB6 is well under way and should be installed early 2003.
The normal life span of a production line is about 10 years .
Since Ford now own Volvo ,51% of Mazda , and getrag already supply a lot of companies , like bmw , merc , why would they invest all this money in new plant , then buy boxes from elsewhere ?
The design of the box looks , maybe not complicated , but intricate , and I wonder if it would lend it's self to the speed of production Ford etc would require ,, the present IB5 boxes , which is a superb box ,so much so BMW are concidering using it in one of their new small cars , is produced , and , might I add , every box tested , at the rate of 2100 a day in one plant alone , there are 3 !