It would appear that not all development funding at carmakers is going toward electric cars. The General recently revealed that it will invest $918 million in four American manufacturing locations, part of which will support V8 engine development.
According to GM, $854 million of this money will go toward developing the company's sixth-generation Small Block V8 engine, which will enable it to keep supporting its full-size truck and SUV projects. The 6th-gen family of Small Block V8s will be constructed at Flint Engine Operations, along with the necessary block, crank, and head machining, for which somewhat more than two thirds of the funds is set aside. The 3.0-liter Duramax will still be produced there while these multi-million dollar renovations are being done.
In addition, Defiance Operations in Ohio will begin preparation work for creating a range of block castings to support future V8 engine projects, while Bay City GPS in Michigan will be set up to produce cams and connecting rods to assist the Flint operations. A financial influx into Rochester operations, where intakes and fuel rails for next V8s will be made, would assist those same plans.
Some companies have blatantly stated they are stopping all new internal combustion development. However, GM still plans to switch to a zero-emissions lineup by 2035, but at least we are aware that truck enthusiasts won't have to use the 5.3L and 6.2L V8 engines in use now for the next ten to fifteen years. And even though we shouldn't anticipate GM to start installing V8 engines in the Silverado EV overnight, it is encouraging to know the company is still interested in gasoline-powered vehicles, even if those engines may eventually be used primarily for heavy-duty trucks and other vehicles of a similar nature. By the way, those vehicles are presently being built at Flint Assembly, which is located directly next to Flint Engine.
As one might anticipate, GM stated that precise information on the next-generation V8 engine's timing, performance, and characteristics is not being published at this time.
