New Indiana plant eyed

DETROIT FREE PRESS | AUBURN HILLS MI - - DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler unit applied for state environmental permits at three Indiana sites as the automaker considers building a transmission plant.

The sites are in Howard, Tippecanoe and Clinton counties, Dave Elshoff, a Chrysler spokesman, said Friday.

To build a plant, the company needs air-quality permits from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

The automaker already has three transmission factories and a casting plant in Kokomo, which is in Howard County. Chrysler and the UAW reached an agreement last month on a new plant. The Indianapolis Star reported Sept. 28 that the plant would make 700,000 transmissions annually by 2009 and be a joint venture with Getrag GmbH, citing the union accord.

Getrag, based in Ludwigsburg, Germany, has experience designing so-called dual-clutch transmissions, which improve fuel economy. General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. jointly developed a new fuel-efficient six-speed transmission.