GM commits $854 million to produce next-generation small-block V-8

While General Motors continues to invest billions of dollars in new production facilities to supply batteries for its future electric vehicle lineup, the company also remains committed to V-8 engines, announcing the development of a new sixth-generation small-block V-8 engine.

General Motors announced Friday that it will invest $854 million in four U.S. production facilities to prepare them to produce components for the new small-block. [The bulk of the investment will be made at Flint Engine Operations in Michigan, which will be responsible for assembling the V-8 and key components such as the block and crank and machining the heads.

Other engine components will be manufactured by Bay City GPS in Michigan, Defiance Operations in Ohio, and Rochester Operations in New York.

Several plants will also receive additional investment to prepare for the production of EV components, GM said.

GM said the announcement of the new V-8 engine will help strengthen its full-size truck and SUV business, noting that the engine is designed primarily for these types of vehicles.

GM's current fifth-generation small-block family was launched in 2013 and includes the LT2 6.2-liter V-8 that debuted in the C8 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the LT5 supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 in the C7 Corvette ZR1 engines included.

Details about the sixth-generation small block were not mentioned in Friday's production announcement, but there are rumors that it will include some form of fuel-saving cylinder deactivation technology.

GM continues to work on the transition to fully electric vehicles and has announced that it will target 2035, at least for its small car lineup. Other major automakers are taking a more aggressive stance, with Audi planning to launch its last internal combustion engine vehicle in 2026. Mercedes-Benz has also stated that it wants to be exclusively electric by around 2030.