Those who lament the steady rise of electric vehicles will rejoice to learn that General Motors is investing heavily in the continued production of V8 engines. It recently announced an investment of nearly $1 billion in V8 engine production. This indicates the survival of this constructed engine configuration. While other automakers (cough Toyota) turn their collective backs, GM continues to embrace these big, powerful horses.
Is General Motors developing a new V8 engine?
General Motors recently announced that it will spend $854 million to develop and build its next-generation V8 engines in the United States. The latest addition to the mix is the new engine that powers the . While GM is working on a new V8, the classic 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter models will still be in production.
He says this engine will likely go down in history as the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 engine in Chevy history.
Why is General Motors investing in the development and production of the V8 engine?
General Motors is already a leader in the electric vehicle market. The Chevy Bolt EV has taken the world by storm as Tesla’s answer. The GMC Hummer EV showed what an electric pickup truck can do. Many more on the horizon. However, many GM-branded pickups and large SUVs can’t offer the same capabilities with electric powertrains that consumers get from V8s.
Proof that gas-powered engines are still superior to electric powertrains for “truck stuff” like they’ve been shown time and time again. Until EV power reaches the potential of gas and diesel, we’ll likely see continued use of V8 engines in pickup trucks.
But Toyota has become a hybrid with the Tundra. Why can’t GM do the same?
Perhaps General Motors will develop a hybrid V6 with the power of today’s V8 engines. This is not the case currently. Eventually, we may see a Chevy Silverado 1500 powered by a hybrid twin-turbocharged V6 or a Chevy Suburban with a similar power plant, but not yet. Perhaps the future of production GM V8s will be a hybrid. GM could add a hybrid component to its V8 engines, giving owners more power and capability.
How will this investment in GM be divided?
The most recent announcement showed a total investment of approximately $918 million. Part of this will go to manufacturing electrical components at the Rochester, New York, plant. This plant will receive $56 million for the production of battery pack cooling lines. Another $8 million will go to Defiance Operations in Ohio to build a development hive molded for future EV strategies. Production and development of the GM V8 engine receives the remainder of the investment.
GM’s new small V8 should be exciting, powerful, and capable of replacing at least one of the existing V8 engines used in GM vehicles.
Next, check out how the Chevy Camaro changed into, or learn more about GM’s new investment in the production V8 engine in this video below:
