GM Is Set to Spend $918 Million, Mostly on V8s

• GM is about to spend nearly $1 billion on four new manufacturing sites.
• Most of that money isn't going to EVs, but to a new sixth-generation small-block V8.
• A small portion of the new investment is going toward EV production.

General Motors has just announced a $918 million investment in four U.S. facilities. The majority of that money, $854 million of it to be exact, will go toward the development of a new sixth-generation small-block V8 engine at two plants in Michigan. The other $64 million will be invested in facilities in New York and Ohio for castings and components to support EV production.

Such a sizable investment in a brand-new V8 engine might come as surprise, but it shows that GM is committed to the internal combustion engine for the foreseeable future. The company added that the development of a new engine is headed for its truck and SUV lineups. Considering just how many big GM products use a V8 (the Silverado, Sierra, Escalade, Yukon and Tahoe to name a few), future-proofing them with new engines makes sense. GM hasn't released any specs or technical details on the new V8 engine.

Of the $918 million GM announced it will spend, $579 million will go toward its engine operations plant in Flint, Michigan. Work to retool the plant for production of the new V8 is slated to begin immediately. It will still build its 3.0-liter diesel six-cylinder engine while the renovations are taking place. GM's Bay City plant in Michigan will get $216 million for camshafts, connecting rods and block/head machining for the new V8 to support the Flint plant.

GM's plant in Defiance, Ohio, will receive $55 million, $47 million of which will be dedicated to the new V8 and the rest designated to help build a casting development cell for future EVs. GM will invest $68 million in its Rochester, New York, facility. Of that money, $12 million will be used to build intake manifolds and fuel rails for the future V8, while the remainder will go toward the production of cooling lines for EV batteries.

Edmunds says

While we don't know much about the new small-block, it's safe to say we're excited to see GM isn't giving up on one of its core competencies.