General Motors has just announced that it will be rolling out a new line of Ecotec engines across its range. A total of 11 units ranging in capacity from 1.0- to 1.5-liter are planned for production in big numbers by 2017 – they want to make 2.5-million annually by then.
They are destined for use in “many of the company’s highest volume small cars and compact crossovers – including the next-generation Chevrolet Cruze specifically tailored for China.” GM says it started fresh with their development process and is keen to point out that they feature all of the latest power and efficiency boosting pieces of tech.
Power outputs for these new three- and four-cylinder mills will range from 75 hp to 165 hp and torque from 70 lb-ft to 184 lb-ft (95 Nm – 250 Nm). Moreover, they have been designed with hybrid propulsion in mind, so any can be incorporated into such a system or be converted to run on alternative fuels.
The first of these engines to see the end of a production line under the bonnet of an actual car is a turbocharged 1.0-liter – it can now be ordered in the Adam. Next up will be the aforementioned 2015 model year (Chinese) Cruze that is to get 1.4-liter turbo and 1.5-liter naturally aspirated Ecotecs, plus a dual-clutch box option as well.
By Andrei Nedelea
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