GM to invest $1.3 billion into V8 manufacturing

General Motors (GM) has announced that it will invest $854 million ($NZ1.315) into its sixth-generation small block V8 manufacturing facilities, providing a lifeline for the iconic motor into the foreseeable future.

The carmaker says the investment will be going towards four US manufacturing sites with an additional $64 million ($NZ98.6 million) being put towards castings and components to support electric vehicle production. 

That brings the total investment to $918 million ($NZ1.416 billion)

Breaking it down, $579 million ($NZ892.9 million) will go towards GM’s Flint Engine Operations plant in Michigan where it will assemble the sixth-generation V8 while $216 million ($NZ333.1 million) will go towards its Bay City GPS plant in Michigan where it will produce camshafts, connecting rods, and machine the V8’s block and head.

At its Defiance Operations facility in Ohio, $48 million ($NZ74 million) will be put towards building a variety of block castings and $8 million ($NZ12.3 million) will be spent on castings for EVs.

Finally in New York, GM will invest $12 million ($NZ18.5 million) into making intake manifolds and fuel rails for the V8 that will be shipped to its Flint Engine Operations plant. $56 million ($NZ86.4 million) will also go towards the production of battery pack cooling lines for EV manufacturing.

The investment is said to bolster GM’s full-size truck and SUV business while supporting the company’s growing EV product portfolio.

No details regarding the V8 have been released at this time but it is likely to feature in future models like the Chevrolet Silverado and Suburban, GMC Yukon Denali, and Cadillac Escalade.

“Today we are announcing significant investments to strengthen our industry-leading lineup of full-size pickups and SUVs by preparing four U.S. facilities to build GM’s sixth generation Small Block V-8 engine,” said Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president of Global Manufacturing and Sustainability. 

New Zealand currently gets the Silverado thanks to General Motors Special Vehicles (GMSV) which means we could see the next-gen V8 rumble down under on our roads.