General Motors has announced that it has canceled its plans to build a new advanced double overhead-cam V8 for its luxury cars. The cancellation leaves the future of V8-powered Cadillac s — other than the XLR sports car — up in the air.
The planned called for a $300 million investment in GM’s Tonawanda, New York engine plant where production of the new V8 engine was slated for 2009. GM Powertrain spokesman Tom Read announced today that the project is dead.
The new engine would have likely replaced the current Northstar V8 used in Cadillac vehicles. The Northstar powerplant will cease production in 2010.
Instead, it is likely that GM will switch to higher-output V6 engines. The new direct-injection V6 used in the Cadillac CTS develops almost as much horsepower as a V8. “We’ve really seen the V6 become the predominant engine in sales on the (2008) STS because it’s so close in power to the V8,†Cadillac spokesman Kevin Smith told Automotive News.
No word on how the cancellation will affect Cadillac’s V-series of cars.
It is believed that the recently passed CAFE standards are responsible for the cancellation and that the death of the program could be an indication of things to come throughout the entire auto industry.
