• GM is committing $854 million to production of a new-generation small-block V8 engine.
• The first small-block V8 came into being in the 1950s.
• The new engine will mainly serve the company's next generation of pickup trucks.
It's no secret that General Motors (GM) is investing heavily in electrification. The company plans to introduce 30 vehicles worldwide by the end of the decade, 20 of which will be offered in Canada. That includes those already announced, like the Equinox EV and Blazer EV.
That doesn’t mean the auto giant is done with combustion engines of course. In fact, the company has just announced it is going to invest 854 million USD to produce a sixth-generation small-block V8 engine. The first such engine appeared for the first time back in the mid-1950s.
The money being committed by GM will be spread across four U.S. production sites to prepare them to make components for the new V8. Most of it will go to Flint Engine Operations in Michigan. At that plant, the engines will be assembled, along with key components such as the block and crankshaft. The machining of the cylinder heads will also be done there.
Other facilities that will manufacture components for the engine are Bay City GPS in Michigan, Defiance Operations in Ohio and Rochester Operations in New York.
Some of these plants will also benefit from additional investments to prepare for manufacturing components for electric vehicles, GM said.
The company confirmed what most probably guessed, which is that the new V8 engine will serve the brand's pickup trucks. Even though the electric pickup era starts at GM next year with the Silverado EV, it's understood the company will be selling gasoline-powered vehicles for a long time to come.
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No details about the new powertrain were shared at the production announcement, but there’s speculation it will include fuel-saving cylinder deactivation technology. If the company is moving forward with a new generation, it's definitely going to come up with something more economical to meet current regulations.
GM has stated that it is still committed to an all-electric future, which is expected to happen starting in 2035.