At one point, General Motors was all-in on plans to become an all-electric automaker, but we’re now here talking about the automaker’s nearly $1 billion investment in a new V8 engine line. The move represents the largest single investment GM has ever made in an engine production facility and shows that the future of motoring won’t be all-electric, at least for a while.
GM said it would invest $888 million to develop a sixth-gen V8 engine at the Tonawanda plant in Buffalo, NY. The automaker said the engines would power new full-size trucks and SUVs as soon as the 2027 model year and noted that the updated powerplants would offer more power than the current-gen V8s, which include GM’s 5.3- and 6.2-liter mills.
The new engine program promises to preserve fuel economy while delivering improved power output, using what GM says are “new combustion and thermal management innovations.” After the investments, the Tonawanda plant will be GM’s second to produce the new engines, following a $579 million upgrade of the Flint Engine plant in Michigan for engine manufacturing.
While it continues pressing forward with new electric models, GM’s massive investments mean that it will likely continue V8 production deep into the next decade. That said, it has maintained its goal of moving to an all-electric model by the mid-2030s, though it has softened its language on continuing gas engine production, with CEO Mary Barra saying that it would follow customer demand to develop future vehicle plans.
[Images: General Motors]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
