As the company continues to invest billions of dollars in new manufacturing facilities to supply batteries for a future electric program, General Motors remains committed to its V-8 offering and has even announced development of a new sixth-generation small-block V engine. 8th.
The automaker announced on Friday that it would invest $854 million in four U.S. manufacturing facilities to prepare them to build components for the new small-block.
The bulk of the investment will go to Flint Engine Operations in Michigan, which will assemble the V-8 and key components like the block and crank, and do the machining of the heads.
Other facilities that will build components for the engine include Bay City GPS in Michigan, Defiance Operations in Ohio and Rochester Operations in New York.
Some of the plants will also receive additional investment to prepare them to produce EV components, GM said.
GM said the announcement of the new V-8 will help strengthen its full-size truck and SUV business, suggesting the engine was designed primarily for those vehicle types.
GM’s current fifth-generation small-block family was launched in 2013 and includes engines such as the LT2 6.2-liter V8, which debuted in the C8 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, and the LT5 6.2-liter Supercharged V8 powering the C7 Corvette ZR1.
No details about the sixth-generation small-block were mentioned during Friday’s production announcement, although there are rumors that it will feature some form of fuel-saving cylinder deactivation technology.
GM said it remains committed to an all-electric future and had previously announced 2035 as the target date for that transition, at least for its light-duty lineup. Other major automakers have taken a more aggressive stance, with Audi planning to launch its last internal combustion engine car in 2026. Mercedes-Benz has also announced that it will be purely electric by around 2030.
