General Motors has a new in-house 3.0-liter inline-six turbodiesel planned for its next-generation full-size pickups, and, while it won’t be available from launch, now we know where it’s being built.
GM’s vice president of global propulsion systems, Dan Nicholson, says the engine — which came as a surprise announcement during the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado’s weekend debut — will hail from Flint, Michigan.
Nicholson confirmed to Automotive News that the new mill’s production will be in a plant known for building the company’s last inline-six: the Atlas 4.2-liter found in the automaker’s midsize SUVs and trucks.
This nugget of information shouldn’t come as too much of a shock, at least not if you watched Saturday’s Silverado unveiling. During the event, GM product chief Mark Reuss told media they could expect “to see some announcements around Flint.”
Flint Engine Operations will start assembling the new light-duty diesels late this year or early next. Designed to give Ford Motor Company’s recently announced 3.0-liter diesel V6 a run for its money, the engine’s development took place at the General Motors diesel center of excellence in Turin. While output and fuel economy specs remain a mystery, GM’s new powerplant gains a helping hand from the next-gen truck’s 450 pounds of weight reduction and the addition of a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Ford claims it’s aiming for an EPA highway fuel economy rating of 30 miles per gallon. If GM’s able to beat that engine’s 250 horsepower and 440 lb-ft, as well as its final economy figures, expect an emergency meeting in Dearborn.
[Image: General Motors]
Reversing the previous trend of lopping two cylinders off a V8 to make a V6, GM has now added two cylinders to a 2.0 liter inline 4.
Heavy-duty head gaskets are an available option, for an additional charge.
Don’t forget the GM tradition of sawing a V8 in half to get 4 (Iron Duke that is.)
Wait. The Iron Duke was a sawed-in-half V8? For real?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Duke_engine
Early Iron Dukes shared the bellhousing with the V8s and were designed to be machined on the same equipment as the V8s.
2.5 ltrs (which is what the Iron Duke displaces) is roughly 1/2 of a 5.0 V8 – 151 cubic inches roughly half of the approximately 300 cubic in V8s that were GMs bread and butter.
GM has done this stuff for years. Even the legendary 389 was cut longitudinally…
great news for Fashionable Flint Michigan.
Like Olympia beer…”it’s the water”
GM diesel excellence center in Turin?
MOPAR is already sourcing an Italian diesel, GM is next.
5.7 Olds anyone?
“General Motors’ diesel development center in Turin, Italy, will be one of the company’s few remaining European outposts once the sale of Opel and Vauxhall to PSA Group closes this year.”
“Dan Nicholson, GM’s vice president of global propulsion systems, told reporters that the Torino engineering center, born out of the ashes of the failed GM-Fiat powertrain alliance, employs some of the industry’s most capable diesel engineers.”
Because GM has only built one Diesel, ever, and it was the 5.7L Olds, which by the way they learned nothing from.
Ford is testing a new Focus. Pinto, anyone? Makes as much sense.
And now GM? GM has been sourcing the diesel for the Cruze, Equinox and Colorado from VM Motori for a while now.
…… John Taurus, GM has built more diesels than about most. Detroit Diesel 53-71-93 1 thru 24cyls, EMD Train and Large Marine propulsion. Just sayin…….
?? Also, wondering if Atlas tooling is being re-used for this new oil burner ?? That would be very GM
GM’s announcement of this engine amounts to premature ejaculation. It sounds like it won’t be available for several years.
I was being sarcastic, lol I know GM has built other diesels and that’s what I was trying to make a point of.
John,
The Torino GM operation has designed many inline four cylinder diesels that are used in Opels and Vauxhalls.
We really need an ignore feature on this site.
The Olds 5.7 wasn’t a bad engine or terrible design but typical GM had go cheap on filtration and water separation, and at a time when diesel fuel was horrible. Mine ran perfectly with an aftermarket filter setup, but I remember filling up a 5 gallon can with diesel at an off-brand station and the diesel was dark brown, half sludge, so I complained to the attendant and he said “So what??”. I told him it was going in my Olds 5.7 so he gave me back my 5 bucks and poured the can back in the inground tank!
I thought they had design flaws that caused blown head gaskets, aside from the gelling fuel.
JTaurus, you are correct. GMs insistence on being able to use the same tooling for the gas 5.7 meant the same head bolt pattern as the non diesel engine. Despite thicker head bolts and a different gasket, ultimately it was not able to provide a durable seal in the real world.
I’m willing to bet that the engineers had all the documented information regarding a short life but the beancounters greenlit it anyway because of the pressure to get mileage up.
Sounds about right. I think the 5.7 used a Stanadyne injection pump. The 6.2 / 6.5, and international 6.9 / 7.3 all used Stanadyne DB2 pumps which are nearly identical without much issue.
Offer in 1500 Suburban – PLEASE.
Yes, and Tahoe too. Ford should also consider adding its diesel to the Expedition.
And GM, if you ever get around to redoing the Express/Savana in the next 20 or 40 years, give the diesel six to them, too.
You can get the 2.8 diesel in the van in half ton.. At least they say you can
mikeg216,
I hadn’t heard they added the 2.8 diesel to the Express until you mentioned it. It’s true, and in the 3500 too not just the half ton. The 6.0 V8 gas is still the towing champ, and I doubt an I6 would fit in the Express but the torque discussed for this new 3.0 diesel would top the 6.0 V8.
I was under the impression that the half ton van was discontinued.
I <3 I6s, diesel, gas bring 'em on.
I couldn’t agree more.
I know this was a cheap solution on GM’s part. Still, inline 6s are still my favorite engine format.
I love ’em too.
Yar. I have one of each.
We might see more I6s going forward, now that turbo-4s are so ubiquitous. Need more displacement? Add 2 more cylinders.
Ford’s going with a V6 and GM with an inline. Should make for interesting water cooler talk though Cummins went with a V configuration for their small displacement 6 that’s in the Nissan, for what that’s worth.
The Cummins engine in the Titan XD is a V8, and it’s 5.7L so I don’t think that qualifies as “small displacement” in the light vehicle sector. The first light-duty Cummins was a 5.9 I6 so the new V8 is almost as big.
The Cummins ISV is 5.0L, not 5.7
troyochatter,
Cost is the reason for V8s, they are cheaper than inline 8s and use a lot less length.
Inline sixes are the best engine for heavy trucks. You don’t see many heavy diesels that are V.
The V6 was not because of the V8 in so far as the compact V6 could be easier to slot in FWD vehicles in lieu of a inline 4.
An inline six is superior to a V6. V configured engines really don’t offer anything other than cost and size.
Stick this in the Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon please! Mind you, I still wouldn’t be able to afford one :-(
I hope for GM’s sake that this is more reliable than the awful Atlas. I was so psyched that GM was coming out with a new Inline 6, and so terribly disappointed when it turned out to be such a turd.
What was so bad about the Atlas I6? The GMT360s it went in are definitely not renowned for high quality but other than poor fuel economy I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything specifically terrible about that engine. If anything I’ve seen more issues on the 5.3L of that era.
I heard the occasional prole complain about the motor but I never cared to investigate why. Give me 4.3 for my mid size GM truck gas guzzling needs.
I keep seeing them without many miles needing an engine. And I knew a couple people with them and they seemed to stay broke down.
John,
The Italians have some of the best diesel tech going.
There is no modern diesel that can’t thank Fiat enough for CRD and direct injection.
I did a little research regarding what engines were designed in GM’s Torino diesel centre of excellence.
There is a 2 litre diesel that “came” out of Torino that has 195hp and around 300ftlb of torque.
So it is feasible that GM will trounce the Lion in power (270-280hp?) and have around 445ftlb of torque.
If the inline six can do that it will be impressive.