With fuel economy being one of the formost issues for the entire auto industry, GM may plan to add eight-speed automatic transmissions and turbocharged engines to its next generation of full-size trucks.
There has been no official word from GM concerning the powertrain decision to replace the outdated GMT900 full-size pickups and SUVs, but there is reason to take the recent speculation seriously, as GM has recently announced the $250 million upgrade to their transmission plant in Toledo, Ohio.
GM has also had favourable success with the turbocharged Chevrolet Cruze and Buick Regal and further expansion for turbochargers seems to be the most logical step. Ford, GM’s longtime rival has had tremendous success with the Ecoboost V6 engine, which has become a replacement for their V8 engines on certain product lines.
The engine of choice for the next gen lineup of full-size pickups is unclear, although a turbocharged 3.6-liter V6 and a small-displacement pushrod V8 are possibilities. GM has remained silent on its next gen engine choice, in stark contrast to Ford’s media blitz in preparation for the Ecoboost engine.
