Electric vehicles may be the future, but internal combustion isn't going anywhere anytime soon. That's why General Motors says it will spend $890 million retooling five factories to build cleaner, more fuel-efficient V8 engines.
These "next-generation" GM engines will be made exclusively of aluminum to cut weight and they'll use direct injection, redesigned combustion chambers and variable valve timing to increase fuel efficiency. They'll also be capable of running on E85 ethanol.
GM says it is building the engines to meet ever-tightening fuel economy and emissions regulations and claims the so-called "Gen IV" engines will deliver fuel economy improvements of 5 percent in trucks and 12 percent in cars.
GM uses V8 engines in the GMC Yukon SUV, Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac CTS-V and other vehicles.
GM will renovate factories in Tonawanda, New York, and St. Catherines, Ontario, and install new engine machining and assembly equipment. It also will expand the semi-permanent mold and precision sand casting facilities at factories in Defiance, Ohio; Bedford, Indiana; and Bay City, Michigan. General Motors says the investment will create or retain 1,600 jobs, but it did not provide a timeline for renovations or say when the new engines would begin production.
Automakers large and small are adopting direct injection and other technologies to maximize fuel economy without losing power. Ford, offers its EcoBoost engines, which use direct injection and turbocharging. The result are six-cylinder engines that perform like eights and fours that perform like sixes.
"There is no doubt that a major differentiator going forward will be powertrain technology,” Michael Robinet, a v.p. at research firm CSM Worldwide, told Automotive News. “Heavy investment and improved fuel economy will be on every company's agenda.”
Photo of a worker moving engine blocks at GM's Tonawada plant: General Motors
