GM Cancels Advanced Diesel Engine
Tech innovations are starting to suffer as carmakers are cutting costs just to survive. General Motors as been forced to delay work on one of its most innovative engines ever, a 4.5 liter diesel intended for use in light-duty trucks.
Production on the engine was to have started this coming fall at the plant in Tonawanda, New York. The cylinder heads on the unit actually eliminate the need for the intake and exhaust manifolds and the lightweight block has advanced castings for crankshaft-bearing journals and the oil-circulation system. It’s reputedly as smooth and quiet as any gasoline engine on the market.
Intended for the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, the diesel engine would produce a highly fuel-efficient truck at a price far under that of the current heavy duty diesels. It’s a low blow as GM faces a decision by the U.S auto task force in three weeks as to whether or not it will get an additional $16.6 billion from the government on top of the $13.4 billion already doled out.
It’s possible that GM will sell the rights on the diesel engine to another company, but at this point, if GM hangs on to the project and reactivates it, consumers won’t see the unit for at least a year.