Dive Brief:
- General Motors plans to invest $888 million in its Tonawanda Propulsion plant in Buffalo, New York, to support production of the next generation of its V8 gas engine for full-size trucks and SUVs, the automaker announced in a press release Tuesday.
- The investment will be used to install new machinery, equipment and tools, as well as for facility renovations. The plant will continue producing the fifth generation of GM’s V8 engine while preparing to start production of the new version in 2027.
- The automaker’s next-generation V8 engine will feature combustion and thermal management improvements designed to boost performance, reduce emissions and improve fuel economy, according to GM.
Dive Insight:
The planned investment in New York is GM’s largest-ever commitment in an engine manufacturing plant. The Tonawanda Propulsion plant will become the second plant to produce the next generation GM V8 engine. In January 2023, the automaker announced an investment of $579 million in its Flint Engine plant in Michigan to produce V8 engines for its full-size trucks and SUVs.
“Our significant investments in GM’s Tonawanda Propulsion plant show our commitment to strengthening American manufacturing and supporting jobs in the U.S.,” said Mary Barra, GM Chair and CEO. “GM's Buffalo plant has been in operation for 87 years and is continuing to innovate the engines we build there to make them more fuel efficient and higher performing, which will help us deliver world-class trucks and SUVs to our customers for years to come.”
GM’s Tonawanda Propulsion plant has been operational since 1938 and originally assembled 6-cylinder engines and axles for Chevrolet vehicles. In addition to producing engines for GM’s trucks and SUVs, the plant also builds engines for the Chevrolet Corvette. Employees at the plant are represented by UAW Local 774.
“This investment marks an exciting new chapter for our plant,” said Tara Wasik, plant director at Tonawanda, in the release. “For generations, our team has demonstrated its commitment to manufacturing excellence. We are grateful for the opportunity to continue supporting the Western New York community and steadfast in our mission to deliver world-class propulsion systems to our customers.”
GM did not share details about which V8 engine the Tonawanda plant will manufacture and whether it will replace one of its current V8 engine models.
The automaker offers a 5.3L and 6.2L V8 gas engine option for the 2025 Chevy Silverado pickup. GM also manufactures the L8T 6.6-liter V8 engine in Tonowanda, which is offered on the 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and other heavy-duty truck models.
Automotive Dive reached out to GM for clarification, but did not receive a response prior to publication.
In April, GM recalled nearly 600,000 model year 2021-2024 truck and SUV models equipped with its fifth-generation L87 6.2 liter engine, which first debuted in model year 2019 vehicles. The recall is due to a manufacturing defect that has led to catastrophic engine failures in some cases, according to the company. To date, GM had identified over 28,000 complaints potentially related to the issue.
