GM Is Keeping the V-8 Alive With a Massive Investment

When automakers announce major investments lately, that money typically goes toward electrification. But not today. General Motors is spending $888 million at its Tonawanda site in Buffalo, New York, to develop a sixth-generation V-8 engine. It’s the largest single investment the company has ever made in an engine plant, a stark departure from an otherwise EV-focused auto industry. In return for the investment, New York will offer up to $16.96 million in tax credits.

GM plans to deploy the new engine in full-size trucks and SUVs starting in 2027, promising increased power. While it hasn’t provided specific figures, the current 5.3-liter V-8 produces 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. The larger 6.2-liter V-8 delivers 420 hp and 460 lb-ft, and the supercharged Cadillac Escalade-V belts out a massive 682 hp and 653 lb-ft.

Photo by: Cadillac

The added power won’t come at the expense of efficiency. GM says it can reduce fuel consumption and emissions through “new combustion and thermal management innovations” aimed at developing a cleaner V-8. It hasn’t confirmed whether any form of electrification will be involved, so the engine may remain purely gasoline-powered.

Tonawanda will be the second engine plant to produce the new V-8. In early 2023, GM announced a $579 million investment at its Flint Engine Operations in Michigan to assemble the sixth-generation engine and machine its block, crank, and head. At the same time, GM committed $12 million to its Rochester Operations facility in New York for intake manifolds and fuel rails, and another $47 million to Defiance Operations in Ohio for block castings.

By launching a new V-8 in 2027, GM signals its intention to keep the eight-cylinder engine alive in its largest vehicles well into the 2030s. Still, the company maintains its pledge to go all-electric by the middle of the next decade. It's a goal first announced in 2019 and reaffirmed as recently as October 2024. However, GM has left the door open for gas-powered vehicles beyond 2035, with CEO Mary Barra noting that the company wants to "be responsive to where the customer is."

Looks like America wants V-8s.

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