Auto Knight

GM Plans High Tech Engines For Chevrolet Cruz And Chevrolet Volt

by Darren

General Motors is building a new plant in Flint to produce new, high tech 4 cylinder engines which will be used in their fuel efficient vehicles, the Chevrolet Cruz and the Chevrolet Volt.

The plant in Flint is scheduled to open in two years.

The Cruze, about the size of a Ford Focus, will have one of the smallest engines on the market. But Stephens said the 1.4-liter turbo will deliver the performance of a larger engine. Honeywell Transportation Systems will supply the turbochargers.
The two Flint engines are part of a family of small four-cylinders GM has built around the world in varying sizes since 1997. The smallest is 1.0 liter. GM has no plans to launch that engine in a North American product. The 1.4-liter Flint engines are a new size that, so far, will be unique to North America.
By 2011, Stephens predicted, one-third of GM’s North American engines will have four cylinders.

GM is using a fuel efficient manufacturing strategy as the central point of their attempted rebound. High tech 1.4 liter engines seem to be at the heart of the matter.