GM Puts a Lot of Money in Continued V8 Engine Production

The future of the automotive world is electric. That certainly makes us wonder why GM would be investing nearly $918 million into V8 engine production.

A new V8 engine is coming from GM. This new engine will likely be an improved version of the V8s already produced by this automaker. It seems a bit odd to put so much money into gas-powered V8 engines when the future of the automotive world lies in electric cars and their production. Still, there’s a huge market for these V8 engines that GM isn’t ready to put off to the side.

Many thought the V8 was dead

The movement away from gas-powered engines to the development of EVs has many thinking that the big V8 engine was dead. Some automakers are still making vehicles with even larger engines, such as the V12 coming in the Ferrari Purosangue, but those vehicles and automakers don’t build as many vehicles as GM. In addition to a movement away from large internal combustion engines, some automakers have developed hybrid vehicles that use smaller engines that can still produce the same power as many of the current V8s.

Those that thought V8s were dead had plenty of reason to believe this, but GM will continue to build its large engines for at least one more generation. These future models will continue to be limited by emissions and noise regulations, but that shouldn’t be too much of a concern for GM. This automaker has offered many engines with a cylinder deactivation feature that allows them to be quieter, run more efficiently, and meet all regulations. We should expect more of the same during this next generation of V8 engine development from GM.

Three of four brands use these big engines

GM is the parent company of four household brand names in America. These four brands are Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC. Buick is the only brand that doesn’t currently have any vehicles using the V8 engines. The other three brands all offer full-size trucks and SUVs that require big power to perform well. So far, that power has come from one of two V8 engines or a strong diesel option. This gives the GM models a bit of an old school feeling, but that also means excellent power and performance that we’ve trusted for many years.

GM isn’t ready to dump its V8 engine platforms

The staggering $918 million going into V8 engine production is a sign that GM isn’t quite ready to abandon its V8 engine platforms. The trucks and SUVs from this automaker use two of the V8 engines and have been around for a while. These two V8s are the 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter models. A recently developed new V8 engine is found in the Corvette, which is the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 engine ever developed. It’s unknown if this powerful 5.5-liter engine will make its way to other GM models, but with the movement toward electrification, it seems unlikely.

What will the investment be used for?

The new GM investment into its V8 engines can be used to develop an engine that might replace the V8 models. Could GM be heading down the same path as Toyota? When the new Toyota Tundra arrived, it came with a pair of turbocharged V6 engines, one of which is a hybrid powertrain. Can GM develop hybrid engines using smaller motors that have as much power as its current lineup of V8 engines? It’s possible, but will some customers be turned off by the loss of these naturally aspirated V8 engines?

GM customers need the V8 power

GM isn’t being stubborn about developing and hanging onto V8 engines for too long. This company has already developed some of the most successful electric vehicles in the market and has more on the way. The greatest reason to continue the development of V8 engines is the requirement many customers have for vehicles with excellent towing power. Electric trucks and SUVs haven’t yet proven themselves to be viable options for long-distance towing, which means a need to continue onward with strong V8 engines that can be refueled in a few minutes, not several hours.

New hybrid GM trucks could be added to the mix

Part of the future V8 engine development at GM could include using these engines as part of a hybrid powertrain. A hybrid system could offer a better range and emissions to ensure the survival of V8 engines, but GM could also find more power out of a hybrid and turbocharged V6, much the same way Toyota has with its new full-size SUVs and trucks. It will be interesting to see if GM develops a hybrid powertrain to go up against the Ford F-150 PowerBoost model or if the focus stays on building better V8 engines.

Some of the money is for EV development

Not all of the $918 million is strictly for V8 engine production and development. Nearly $56 million will go to the production of battery pack cooling lines for future EV models, and another $8 million is heading to Defiance Operations in Ohio to build castings for battery cell development and support. It’s not surprising that GM is using some of the money for EV development. GM is heavily invested in building EVs, and some of its brands have already begun the transition to an all-EV lineup. Considering Buick doesn’t have any full-size SUVs or trucks in the mix, this transition should be easiest for the Buick team.

We’ll see many GM EVs and V8s side-by-side

Over the next several years, many GM dealers will offer both gas-powered and electric vehicles simultaneously. The new Chevy Silverado EV, Blazer EV, Equinox EV, and GMC Sierra EV are all heading to the market for the 2024 model year. This will give customers the option of a V8-powered truck or SUV, or a new EV truck. Which will these new customers choose? That’s hard to say, but the usefulness and continued development of V8 engine production at GM is welcome news for those who aren’t quite ready to embrace the electric future.