Many automakers have ditched V8 engines, but GM isn’t one of them. A recent investment in New York should keep these engines alive for several years.

The automotive market is extremely fickle. At the start of the decade, it seemed the transition from ICE vehicles to EVs was on its way. The slowing of EV sales caused some automakers to look for other ways to improve emissions while focusing away from EVs. This brought about more hybrids than before. Despite these changes, GM continues to focus on improving V8 engines with a new investment.

The announcement

General Motors announced an $888 million investment in the Tonawanda Propulsion plant. This supports the sixth generation of V8 engines from the automaker, which will be placed in full-size trucks and SUVs. This means GM has two plants designated for V8s, which seems counterintuitive. In a world filled with turbocharged engines, hybrid powertrains, and EVs, it seems a little strange that GM continues to invest in V8 engines, but that’s what’s happening. The sixth generation of this engine is expected to begin production in 2027, showing the automaker’s continued support of this engine configuration.

GM can handle the diversity in its lineup

Often considered the largest automaker in the world, GM can certainly handle powertrain diversity. GM currently doesn’t have any hybrid vehicles in its lineup, but that’s likely to change with the surge of traditional hybrids and plug-in hybrids being offered. Continued investment into V8 engines could prove fruitful for GM. Toyota and Stellantis have ditched V8 engines in their light-duty trucks and SUVs, and many other automakers have never used V8 engines among their vehicles. This pretty much leaves Ford and GM to fight for dominance in the market for shoppers searching for vehicles with V8 engines. Of course, Ford only uses V8 engines in trucks and high-performance sports cars in 2025.

Better performance and improvements

Rather than turning their proverbial backs on V8 engines, GM leaders show commitment to this engine configuration by working to make their engines better. This means upgrading them with stronger performance figures, improved fuel economy numbers, and reduced emissions by using advanced combustion and thermal management technologies. GM has too many variations of vehicles to leave V8 engines behind and focus only on turbocharged V6 models, despite the success of this approach by competitors.

The historical nature of the Tonawanda plant

The Tonawanda plant has been operating for more than eight decades, adding deep roots to the Buffalo-area economy by supporting the area with jobs and success that spans a few generations of residents. The plant is represented by UAW Local 774 and has been a mainstay of the area for many years. This new investment will support 900 jobs and add new machinery, tooling, equipment, and facility renovations to the plant. This commitment shows the importance of continuing to build engines in the United States and a strong investment in the American workforce in an area that’s been supported by the plant for a long time.

This new investment followed a similar path

In 2023, GM added a $500 million investment in the Flint Engine plant in Michigan, allowing the plant to focus on upgrading and retooling to build the same engine generation as the Tonawanda plant. These investments show the commitment to keeping engine building and production in the United States, which helps GM avoid tariffs being imposed on this part of the vehicles that use the V8 engines. With many GM vehicles that rely on the engines being produced by these two plants, it’s important to avoid adding unnecessary costs that would be paid by consumers.

A message from the CEO

GM CEO Mary Barra understands the importance of V8 engines and the significance of the Tonawanda Propulsion plant. She shared news of the investment with a supporting statement:

“Our significant investments in GM’s Tonawanda Propulsion plant show our commitment to strengthening American manufacturing and supporting jobs in the U.S. 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.”
– Mary Barra, CEO of GM

GM uses V8 engines in its full-size SUV and truck lineup, including the Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Silverado 1500, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Sierra 1500, and Cadillac Escalade. This new investment will ensure that V8-powered GM vehicles will be available for many years.