Saw this on TCL.com and thought it might affect some locals since they were slated to be built here
GM cancels V-8 program for luxury carsRichard Truett and
and Jamie LaReau
Automotive News
January 3, 2008 - 12:50 pm ET
DETROIT – General Motors has canceled plans to build a new advanced double overhead-cam V-8 for its luxury cars.
The move means the future for Cadillac’s V-8 car engines is unclear.
In January 2007, GM said it would invest $300 million in its Tonawanda, N.Y., engine plant for the new V-8 engine, which was scheduled to start production in 2009 and be used in luxury cars.
GM Powertrain spokesman Tom Read said Thursday that the project is dead. That engine likely would have replaced Cadillac’s long-running Northstar V-8, which is scheduled to end production in 2010.
Cadillac could switch to high-powered V-6s in its cars, except for the Corvette-based XLR.
The new direct-injected V-6 in the 2008 CTS develops 304 hp, while the current Northstar V-8 makes 275 hp in the 2008 DTS.
Cadillac spokesman Kevin Smith said, “We’ve really seen the V-6 become the predominant engine in sales on the (2008) STS because it’s so close in power to the V-8.”
He added that the V-6 is about 150 to 200 pounds lighter.
The cancellation of the new V-8 comes just days after President Bush signed into law new fuel economy standards that call for a 40 percent fuel economy improvement by 2020. The new standards start phasing in in 2011.
The Tonawanda plant still gets at least one new engine, an all-new 4.5-liter diesel V-8 engine that starts production in 2010. That engine, GM said earlier, will be used in light pickups and SUVs.
I really dont understand where GM is planning on taking the company in the future. I really think they need to get a company goal and focus on it. Toyota and Honda all seem to have there cars down to a T but it really seems that GM hasnt figured out what their signature interior is going to look like or just signature elements of their cars. I remember back when in the 90’s, it seemed like every GM interior was ass ugly but they all kinda resembled each other. Now it seems like GM is trying out different interior ideas each year on all of their models. I dunno, I know im just rambling but I just dont understand what direction GM is trying to go in.
They were trying to say layoffs were in order but, Im pretty sure that the union will find a job for them within the company. They’re pretty good with that.
That sux bad for the Tonawanda engine plant and its future. Not only will the engine not be made but that engine was a big investment for GMPT here locally. I can’t help but question the long-term viability of the plant with out this engine. I don’t see them building something else there instead because the new high feature V8 was more than a motor, GM was looking at revamping and updating a huge part of the tonawanda plant for it. Now they are not. A bad omen i fear.
Why? What don’t you people understand about how the auto industry is part of our economy. Those overpaid auto workers spend their money. In fact statistically they are less educated and save less. Bad for them, good for the merchants they spend their money on.
But anyway, back to the V8. As you all know the balance sheets are not good for the Detroit 3 right now. The catch 22 is they need to invest in new product development but the bean counters insist on cutting costs.
V6’s seem to be the trend now. They are getting pretty big power from them. Obvious reduction of parts vs V8. Complexitiy reduction is a big cost cutting issue.
The LS7 and the LS9 prove that there is life left in the pushrod arrangement. The only reason they have retained the Northstar is for marketing reasons, i.e. Cadillac customers think they need 32V DOHC.
I think having a powerfull V8 in the lineup is somewhat important for high end luxury cars even if it is limited production. I wonder if they are planning to use the LS serise engines instead of the DOHC configuration it would make sence, they are proven and I imagine relitively inexpensive to produce since they already have plants set up for them.
if GM would go back on themselves and pump out EV1’s for the hippies, they could make craploads of sweet v8’s for those with testicles in their scrotums.
1x 18mpg v8 + 1x infinite mpg EV1 = ~36mpg average between the two… that is if the law allows for this.
even so GM’s pushrod v8’s in cars are decent as far as v8’s and MPG’s go. i wonder what theyd get out of it with direct injection. they are only using it on their 6’s and 4’s right?
DI was planned for this V8 before it was axed. They were very far along on the development of this Engine too which is scary because they are eating a lot of cost already spent on this project, so they felt they had good reason to cancle it.
