GM Announces New Engine with Assembly and Component Sites

08/08/96

The new GM business plan, approved by the corporation's Board of Directors on Monday, includes plans for a new lightweight global engine to satisfy the requirements of future vehicles for worldwide customers. The initial application is a 2.2L 4-cylinder DOHC engine for the Saturn Innovate.

GM's Powertrain Group (GMPTG) will produce the first module of engine capacity at the Tonawanda, NY engine plant. The engine's cylinder block and head castings will be produced at GMPTG's Massena, NY foundry using lost foam casting technology.

"This all-new engine program is part of our long-term global strategy and is a key enabler for worldwide vehicle platforms," said E. Michael Mutchler, vice president and group executive of GM Powertrain Group. "The engine offers flexibility to meet changing market requirements which is critical to a worldwide program."

The engine has been engineered with flexibility in mind. Displacement, the number of overhead cams, the use of balance shafts, and performance characteristics can all be modified for particular markets. Key features of the engine include low mass, optimum fuel efficiency, durability and minimal noise, vibration and harshness. GM plans that the engine will replace current versions of General Motors' 4-cylinder powerplants over the next decade.

The GM Powertrain Group, out of Pontiac, Mich., is the world's largest manufacturer of engines, automatic transmissions, and automotive castings. GMPTG employs about 56,000 workers around the world and provides engines and automatic transmissions to other automakers on a global scale.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel