GM delays new 4.5 litre Diesel truck engine, might even sell rights
03-10-2009, 08:23 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Ontario
Posts: 2,712
GM delays new 4.5 litre Diesel truck engine, might even sell rights
This could have been a huge competitive advantage in the still-profitable truck market ... shows how bad things continue to get.
From www.autonews.com
From www.autonews.com
GM delays innovative new diesel truck engine
Richard Truett
Automotive News
March 10, 2009 - 7:26 pm ET
UPDATED: 3/10/09 8:05 p.m. ET
DETROIT -- General Motors' deteriorating financial situation has caused the company to delay one of the most advanced engines that it has ever designed, a 4.5-liter diesel for light-duty trucks.
"We have to make tough decisions right now," said GM Powertrain spokeswoman Susan Garavaglia.
Truck enthusiasts were eagerly awaiting the engine, which would have started production next fall at GM's plant in Tonawanda, N.Y. The engine has unique cylinder heads that eliminate the intake and exhaust manifolds. Its lightweight block has advanced castings for the crankshaft-bearing journals and oil-circulation system.
GM had planned to install the engine in the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. The result would have been a fuel-efficient truck priced for less than the heavy duty diesel-powered trucks available now.
The move comes three weeks before a U.S. auto task force is set to determine whether the automaker deserves an additional $16.6 billion in federal aid. GM, kept afloat by $13.4 billion in U.S. loans received so far, is trying to shed brands, sell assets and curb spending as it battles a worldwide collapse in auto sales after four profitless years.
Selling the rights?
GM has been awarded several patents for the engine design, and early tests have shown the new motor to be as smooth and quiet as a gasoline engine. Development of the engine was far along when the decision was made to put the program on hold.
Rights to the engine may be sold to another company, Garavaglia said.
If GM decides to revive the engine, it would likely take at least a year for it to enter production. Meanwhile, GM will not be out of the diesel truck business. The company will continue to offer the 6.6-liter Duramax engine in heavy-duty pickups and modify it as necessary to meet tougher emissions standards.
GM also has just launched Two Mode hybrid versions of the Silverado and Sierra, which get an EPA rated 21 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. The 4.5-liter diesel would have raised the trucks' fuel economy into the mid to high 20s mpg.
Last month, GM scrapped plans to build an engine plant for the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and Cruze small car. Instead, the engines will initially come from a European factory while an existing factory in Flint, Mich., is retooled to make the new engines.
GM Powertrain Group Vice President Tom Stephens recently said that all of GM's future production plans are constantly being re-evaluated.
Richard Truett
Automotive News
March 10, 2009 - 7:26 pm ET
UPDATED: 3/10/09 8:05 p.m. ET
DETROIT -- General Motors' deteriorating financial situation has caused the company to delay one of the most advanced engines that it has ever designed, a 4.5-liter diesel for light-duty trucks.
"We have to make tough decisions right now," said GM Powertrain spokeswoman Susan Garavaglia.
Truck enthusiasts were eagerly awaiting the engine, which would have started production next fall at GM's plant in Tonawanda, N.Y. The engine has unique cylinder heads that eliminate the intake and exhaust manifolds. Its lightweight block has advanced castings for the crankshaft-bearing journals and oil-circulation system.
GM had planned to install the engine in the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. The result would have been a fuel-efficient truck priced for less than the heavy duty diesel-powered trucks available now.
The move comes three weeks before a U.S. auto task force is set to determine whether the automaker deserves an additional $16.6 billion in federal aid. GM, kept afloat by $13.4 billion in U.S. loans received so far, is trying to shed brands, sell assets and curb spending as it battles a worldwide collapse in auto sales after four profitless years.
Selling the rights?
GM has been awarded several patents for the engine design, and early tests have shown the new motor to be as smooth and quiet as a gasoline engine. Development of the engine was far along when the decision was made to put the program on hold.
Rights to the engine may be sold to another company, Garavaglia said.
If GM decides to revive the engine, it would likely take at least a year for it to enter production. Meanwhile, GM will not be out of the diesel truck business. The company will continue to offer the 6.6-liter Duramax engine in heavy-duty pickups and modify it as necessary to meet tougher emissions standards.
GM also has just launched Two Mode hybrid versions of the Silverado and Sierra, which get an EPA rated 21 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. The 4.5-liter diesel would have raised the trucks' fuel economy into the mid to high 20s mpg.
Last month, GM scrapped plans to build an engine plant for the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and Cruze small car. Instead, the engines will initially come from a European factory while an existing factory in Flint, Mich., is retooled to make the new engines.
GM Powertrain Group Vice President Tom Stephens recently said that all of GM's future production plans are constantly being re-evaluated.
03-10-2009, 08:55 PM
#3
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Albany, NY
Posts: 10,287
Another terrible move. This would have been a much bigger seller than the Silverado hybrid. Does anyone know if Ford has delayed plans for their 4.4L or Dodge with their 4.xL diesel?
They really are just digging GM deeper and deeper into a hole.
They really are just digging GM deeper and deeper into a hole.
03-10-2009, 10:32 PM
#7
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 1,897
Wow, now they're trying to give away their bread and butter truck market. Might as well just sell the engine rights to Toyota.
I know viability is a concern, but with moves like this, **** it, let 'em fail.
I know viability is a concern, but with moves like this, **** it, let 'em fail.
03-10-2009, 11:44 PM
#9
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 3,123
Yeah, the heart of every GM vehicle is its engine.
What is GM without its engines? Not very special IMO.
03-11-2009, 02:30 AM
#11
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: The Golden State
Posts: 13,711
If this is the engine I'm thinking of and saw, GM is selling off an engine that's more revolutionary than you may think.
If I recall, this is an engine whose intake is outboard, and the exhaust is in between the heads...yes reverse of what we're used to... and was pretty compact in size, in addition to getting very high fuel economy. If I recall, this engine was also at the time planned to go into cars as well, particularly the now dead RWD 2011 Chevrolet Impala and by association, the Pontiac G8, & the redone RWD Buick and Cadillac Zeta sedans.
Even if this isn't the diesel I'm thinking about, selling it off again drives home what I said when GM postponed the badly needed Impala replacement from 2011 to 2013. Games over.
I still am certain that Chevrolet will come out of the rubble, but I'm equally certain that there's going to be rubble that Chevrolet will have to rise out of.
If I recall, this is an engine whose intake is outboard, and the exhaust is in between the heads...yes reverse of what we're used to... and was pretty compact in size, in addition to getting very high fuel economy. If I recall, this engine was also at the time planned to go into cars as well, particularly the now dead RWD 2011 Chevrolet Impala and by association, the Pontiac G8, & the redone RWD Buick and Cadillac Zeta sedans.
Even if this isn't the diesel I'm thinking about, selling it off again drives home what I said when GM postponed the badly needed Impala replacement from 2011 to 2013. Games over.
I still am certain that Chevrolet will come out of the rubble, but I'm equally certain that there's going to be rubble that Chevrolet will have to rise out of.
Last edited by guionM; 03-11-2009 at 02:33 AM.
03-11-2009, 05:45 AM
#12
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Posts: 3,132
A sad piece of news indeed. However, given the pain and expense of diesel in the U.S., maybe this isn't that bad.
The only diesels that get away without urea injection are the small ones, but even there, the emission equipment is complicated, with multiple stages, complex electronics, sensors, and fuel injectors.
Is anyone on this list actually considering buying a modern diesel automobile? The only one I'd remotely consider would be the Jetta, since it doesn't have the urea injection. But even that isn't too appealing when one considers how expensive repairs to the emission control system could be. Maybe in a few years once it's been proven....
Euro6 diesel emissions may be close to U.S. emissions, at which point there will be lots of these systems on the road in Europe, and they can iron out all the problems. After that, a diesel might look more appealing.
In the meantime, gasoline turbo direct injection gets you many of the advantages of diesel without all the complexity, and more power besides (and who doesn't like more power
).
The only diesels that get away without urea injection are the small ones, but even there, the emission equipment is complicated, with multiple stages, complex electronics, sensors, and fuel injectors.
Is anyone on this list actually considering buying a modern diesel automobile? The only one I'd remotely consider would be the Jetta, since it doesn't have the urea injection. But even that isn't too appealing when one considers how expensive repairs to the emission control system could be. Maybe in a few years once it's been proven....
Euro6 diesel emissions may be close to U.S. emissions, at which point there will be lots of these systems on the road in Europe, and they can iron out all the problems. After that, a diesel might look more appealing.
In the meantime, gasoline turbo direct injection gets you many of the advantages of diesel without all the complexity, and more power besides (and who doesn't like more power
).
03-11-2009, 09:02 AM
#13
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 603
Right now, every ford product is fresh. Most GM product is stale. GM needs things to get people on the lots. If you have ever been to Atlanta, this situation reminds me of our public transportation system, MARTA. It doesn't go anywhere, because no one rides it. And no one rides it, because it doesn't go anywhere. I'm just waiting to read the article where they spent another $500M on a steering wheel radio control button for the Volt.
03-11-2009, 09:19 AM
#15
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 681
If this is the engine I'm thinking of and saw, GM is selling off an engine that's more revolutionary than you may think.
If I recall, this is an engine whose intake is outboard, and the exhaust is in between the heads...yes reverse of what we're used to... and was pretty compact in size, in addition to getting very high fuel economy. If I recall, this engine was also at the time planned to go into cars as well, particularly the now dead RWD 2011 Chevrolet Impala and by association, the Pontiac G8, & the redone RWD Buick and Cadillac Zeta sedans.
Even if this isn't the diesel I'm thinking about, selling it off again drives home what I said when GM postponed the badly needed Impala replacement from 2011 to 2013. Games over.
I still am certain that Chevrolet will come out of the rubble, but I'm equally certain that there's going to be rubble that Chevrolet will have to rise out of.
If I recall, this is an engine whose intake is outboard, and the exhaust is in between the heads...yes reverse of what we're used to... and was pretty compact in size, in addition to getting very high fuel economy. If I recall, this engine was also at the time planned to go into cars as well, particularly the now dead RWD 2011 Chevrolet Impala and by association, the Pontiac G8, & the redone RWD Buick and Cadillac Zeta sedans.
Even if this isn't the diesel I'm thinking about, selling it off again drives home what I said when GM postponed the badly needed Impala replacement from 2011 to 2013. Games over.
I still am certain that Chevrolet will come out of the rubble, but I'm equally certain that there's going to be rubble that Chevrolet will have to rise out of.