While most of the world’s manufacturers wind down their cylinder count and head deeper into the electric era, General Motors has just pumped $888m (P50 billion) into its Tonawanda Propulsion plant in Buffalo, New York. The purpose? To build its next-gen V8 engine.
It’s the single biggest investment GM has ever made in an engine plant, bringing tons of new machinery, equipment and tools, alongside a general mop-up of the place. It also means Tonawanda will be the second facility (after Michigan) to manufacture its sixth-gen V8.
That engine will continue to power various full-size pickups and SUVs; a portfolio that currently includes the GMC Sierra and Yukon, and the Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe. This refurbished factory could keep that lot surviving for a while longer. Oh, and there’s that other Chevy, which does 233mph and wants to eat European supercars for breakfast, lunch and tea.
The aim for this next-gen V8 is simple: stronger performance than the current one, improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. How? By focusing on the combustion and thermal management processes.
Not the sort of thing you can cook up in a secondary school lab, but perhaps the sort you could with an $888m investment.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
