At a time when carmakers are spending big money on electric vehicles, General Motors continues to show its commitment to the V8 engine.
After previously announcing its sixth-generation small-block V8 would be produced in Flint, Michigan and Buffalo, New York, the car giant has now confirmed its Canadian engine plant in St. Catharines, Ontario will also build the new engine.
“St. Catharines Propulsion continues to play a key role – today and into the future – and will produce GM’s next-generation of V8 engines, which power our high-demand full-size trucks and SUVs,” GM said in a statement.
The St. Catharines Propulsion plant currently produces not only the fifth-generation ‘LS’ V8 engine, but also the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission fitted to the Chevrolet Corvette C8.
It’s not known how much GM will spend to prepare the factory to make the new V8, however investments in the aforementioned US plants have totalled US$1.7 billion (A$2.7 billion).
Specialist publication GM Authority has previously reported insider sources have said the Gen VI small-block V8 will initially be offered in both 5.7-litre and 6.6-litre displacements.
Currently, the Gen V engine stretches from 5.3- to 6.2- and 6.6-litres, and can be had in naturally aspirated and supercharged form, though the same pushrod, over-head-valve setup remains largely the same.
While the most recent report is yet to be confirmed by GM, offering 5.7-litre and 6.6-litre V8s would cover most of the car giant’s model range which is already powered by big engines, featuring across the Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac model ranges.
In Australia, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is the only pickup available with V8 power, as the rest of its rivals are exclusively powered by smaller sixes, while the current ‘Gen 5’ V8 – or at least different variants of it – can also be found in the GMC Yukon SUV and Chevrolet Corvette sports cars.
Australian and US executives have previously committed to keeping V8s alive locally for as long as it is economically viable, or until regulations forbid them from doing so.
“We’ve always said and maintained the customer is our priority,” General Motors Australia Managing Director, Jess Bala, told Torquecafe in May.
“We put them at the centre and as long as customers keep telling us they want that powertrain in that particular vehicle, we will keep bringing it to market.”
In December, Car and Driver discovered patents for what it believed to be the new-generation Chevrolet Silverado 1500, which is expected to be one of the first models to be powered by the new V8.
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