It’s common to hear about companies abandoning combustion engine plans for electric ones, but that’s not what the company says. General Motors have in mind. The North American company announced that it will invest around R$5 billion in its factory located in Tonawanda, in the city of Buffalo, state of New York. The goal? Develop a new generation of V8 gasoline engine.
This investment marks the largest single contribution in GM’s history to an engine production plant, representing a movement against the tide in an industry increasingly focused on electric vehicles. In return, the New York state government will offer up to R$96 million in tax incentives.
New V8 engine will be intended for pickup trucks and large SUVs
Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt/RONALDO SCHEMIDT
The new set, which will go into production from 2027, will be aimed at pickup trucks and large SUVs, promising superior performance. GM has not yet released official data for this new unit, but, as a reference, the current 5.3 V8 used in Chevrolet and GMC trucks offers 355 hp and 52.9 mkgf of torque. The 6.2 V8 delivers 420 hp and 63.7 mkgf. The Cadillac Escalade V, with a supercharged engine, reaches 682 hp and 90.3 mkgf.
The automaker claims that the new V8 will bring advances in efficiency, the result of improvements in the combustion system and thermal management. The focus will be on reducing consumption and emissions — although, so far, there is no indication that the engine will have electrical assistance. Everything points to a block powered exclusively by gasoline.
Other GM units are involved in production
Chevrolet Silverado High Country Photo: Werther Santana/Estadão
In addition to the Tonawanda plant, other GM units are also involved in the production of the new engine. In 2023, the company had already announced an investment of around R$3.3 billion in the Flint plant, in Michigan, to manufacture engines and machine components such as the block, crankshaft and cylinder head.
A further R$68 million was allocated to the Rochester (New York) unit, which will take care of the intake manifolds and fuel rails, and another R$268 million to the Defiance (Ohio) plant, responsible for casting the blocks.
Cadillac Escalade has just gained a new generation Photo: Cadillac/Disclosure
With this new engine scheduled to enter the scene in 2027, GM makes it clear that it intends to keep V8s alive in its line of larger vehicles until at least the beginning of the 2030s. At the same time, the automaker reaffirms its commitment to total electrification by the middle of the next decade — a goal set in 2019 and reinforced more recently in October 2024.
In any case, CEO Mary Barra has already stated that GM will continue to pay attention to consumer preferences, leaving open the possibility of continuing to offer combustion models after 2035.
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André Itamara Vila Neto é um blogueiro apaixonado por guias de viagem e criador do Road Trips for the Rockstars . Apaixonado por explorar tesouros escondidos e rotas cênicas ao redor do mundo, André compartilha guias de viagem detalhados, dicas e experiências reais para inspirar outros aventureiros a pegar a estrada com confiança. Seja planejando a viagem perfeita ou descobrindo tesouros locais, a missão de André é tornar cada jornada inesquecível.
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