TOKYO -- Toyota Motor and 10 other Japanese automotive companies have banded together to research powertrain technology, in a rare team effort aimed at keeping pace with global progress in vehicle electrification.

The 11 partners have established an organization called the Transmission Research Association for Mobility Innovation, or TRAMI, to study the most effective ways to transmit power from engines and motors. Enhancing transmissions can lead to better fuel efficiency.

Nine of the participants are rival automakers: Toyota; Honda R&D, a research arm of Honda Motor; Nissan Motor; Isuzu Motors; Suzuki Motor; Subaru; Daihatsu Motor; Mazda Motor and Mitsubishi Motors. Two others, Aisin AW and Jatco, are transmission suppliers.

TRAMI is only the second collective research body in Japan's auto industry, after nine companies set up an association to study internal combustion engines in 2014. There are a couple of factors bringing the manufacturers together: The shift to hybrid and fully electric vehicles has made solo development more difficult, and research blitzes in Germany and China are raising the pressure.

"If we work together, we will be able to advance technologies, and that in turn will allow us to focus on our own product development," Toshiaki Maeda, the head of TRAMI and a senior chief engineer at Honda R&D, told reporters on May 15 at the opening ceremony for TRAMI.

Tomonari Shirai, the head of TRAMI's steering committee and chief engineer at Honda R&D, said the members shared a sense of crisis that "if we missed this opportunity, we would be left behind" as Chinese and German rivals speed ahead.

Germany started government-led joint research on powertrains 50 years ago. China recently followed the suit, promoting research with a combination of generous government funding and technologies provided by European companies.

Conversely, basic research on powertrains at Japanese universities is less active than endeavors focused on engines. And automotive companies' research has been hamstrung by a lack of cooperation.

TRAMI promises to change that, with around 10 engineers sent from each manufacturer. The partners will settle on themes based on the challenges they face and commission research to universities in Japan.

One goal could be to improve performance by reducing friction between metal parts. A trial is already underway with Yokohama National University and eight other schools. The number of partner universities is to increase in the future.

Japanese automakers have long preferred in-house manufacturing of powertrain systems, including automatic and continuously variable transmissions, since they have direct bearing on driving performance. Honda, in principle, makes both types internally, while Toyota combines internal manufacturing and sourcing from group company Aisin.

Hybrids require particularly complex powertrains. Honda's models, for instance, harness power from the engine, motor or both depending on the driving situation.

Electric cars, meanwhile, do not need transmissions because the motor performs the role. But even if all cars were electric, automakers would still need efficient powertrain systems to deliver power from the motor to the wheels.

Maeda said the rise of hybrids and electric cars has created a need for more sophisticated technology. "This," he said, "has put a limit on how much an individual company can handle development on its own."