General Motors pushes ahead with Gen VI V8
Legendary V8 to live on in Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado and other cars with new billion-dollar investmentGeneral Motors has safeguarded the future of its small-block V8, announcing a $US918 million ($A1.3b) investment in the American factories that produce it.
According to GM, the huge investment in prolonging the life of the V8 will also be used to switch some of the factories involved to manufacturing electric car parts as the US auto giant transitions to all-electric powertrains.
Analysts say the Gen VI V8 is now expected to be in production in some form until 2035, when GM plans to cease producing combustion-powered vehicles.
That means muscle cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette and a variety of SUVs and pick-up trucks including the Chevrolet Silverado sold in Australia will stick with V8 engine firepower for another generation.
Out of the $US918m, $US854m ($A1.2m) has been earmarked to prepare plants in Michigan, New York and Ohio for V8 production, with just $US64m ($A91m) reserved to create new casts for EV components.
GM told the markets that its latest investment showed it was committed to providing “a strong portfolio of [internal combustion engine] vehicles well into the future while continuing to accelerate its transformation to an all-electric future”.
The current Gen V small-block was introduced all the way back in 2014 in the Corvette C7, so the latest V8 is well overdue.
There’s no word yet on how GM will evolve an engine that first went on sale in 1954, but downsizing and the addition of a pair of turbochargers seem likely.
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