Earlier this month GM announced it was scrapping development of a new V8 engine for Cadillac . At the time, GM did not disclose a reason for the move. But at the Detroit auto show this week, CEO Rick Wagoner confirmed the U.S. government’s new 35 mpg CAFE standard is the sole cause.
The cancellation of a successor to the Northstar engine family was “the direct result of the 35-mpg fuel legislation,” Wagoner told Car and Driver magazine.
He said when the project was first started, his company had “more optimism” about the future of V8 engines and the effect of emissions and fuel economy regulations. As it turns out, GM’s wishful thinking wasn’t enough to prevent controversial law from claiming one of its first victims.
The move also raises questions about the future of fuel-thirsty engines in general — not only at GM but at other automakers as well. Ford , for examples, is putting an increased focus on turbocharged V6s. Even BMW is moving to turbocharging as a means of decreasing displacement. Some American luxury cars are already debuting as V6-only — take the new Cadillac CTS and Lincoln MKS as examples.
Because CAFE standards look at the overall fuel economy average for an entire company, low-volume high-performance vehicles are unlikely to be affected by CAFE. As for everything else, we could be witnessing the beginning of a trend away from large engines all together.
