General Motors isn’t letting the small-block V8 die quietly, having previously announced investments totalling US$1.7 billion (A$2.7 billion) towards the sixth-generation bent-eight mill.
With two separate investments announced since 2023, the new Gen VI V8 will launch as emissions regulations get ever tighter globally, and now we have the first details about what engines could be on offer.
According to specialist publication GM Authority, 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.
It’s not yet known what vehicle the Gen VI engine will debut in, however a Corvette C8 test mule has been spotted with camouflage covering its engine cover, suggesting one of the new V8s is underneath.
Previously, GM has announced the new V8 will be produced in Flint, Michigan and Buffalo, New York. The latter facility currently produces not only the current ‘Gen V’ small-block V8 – found in the Chevrolet Silverado pickup – but also the ‘Ecotec Gen III’ four-cylinder, while Flint manufactures a smaller-capacity four, plus a turbo-diesel straight-six.
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.
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.”
“ We are very committed to our V8s,” GMC’s senior product marketing manager, Tim Simmons, added at the time.
“It’s been something that we’ve worked on since I’ve been involved in trucks now going on 11, 12 years. We know it’s what the customer wants.
“We know for the applications and the use cases of how they’re using their trucks, whether it’s our pickups or, or full-size utilities, that they recognise it’s the best propulsion system for what they’re using it for. And you know, certainly we have expertise in that space. So we’ve been very, very committed.”
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