The new 3.0-liter straight-six turbo-diesel of the Genesis GV80 could find its way into Hyundai’s forthcoming 1-tonne pickup truck (not to be confused with the Santa Cruz truck), Car Sales reports.
In the GV80, this new engine pumps out 274 hp and 434 lb-ft (589 Nm) of torque and is coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Hyundai’s head of research and development, Albert Biermann, was asked whether this engine could be used in other vehicles during the GV80’s recent launch in Korea.
“This engine… we can have so many applications,” he responded. “We make also commercial vehicles and so on, so this engine will be out there for quite some time.”
According to Biermann, the car manufacturer developed a new inline-six for the GV80 due to its inherent refinement. The platform used by the GV80 also comfortably supports such a powertrain.
“We developed the whole car from the beginning. The new platform, the ‘M3’ platform, was already considered with that engine,” Biermann said.
Read More: Hyundai Preparing New 1-Tonne Pickup Truck With A Proper Ladder Frame Chassis
Genesis has confirmed that its new diesel engine will be sold with the GV80 in Europe and meets the latest emissions standards. Developing the engine wouldn’t have been cheap and it’s logical that it will be used by other models from the car manufacturer. Biermann is also confident the engine could enjoy quite a long life span.
“There was a time, two years ago, when everybody was saying ‘diesel is over’, but now you have people saying: ‘Hey, with this new diesel technology, the air that comes from the tailpipe is cleaner than the air [the engine] sucks in, right?’ It is like that, with the next level, so will it die? Will it not die? Future will tell.”
The pickup in question will be built on a traditional ladder-frame chassis and be distinct from the unibody Santa Cruz pickup also being developed by Hyundai. It will act as a rival to the likes of the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger and be sold in markets including Australia and the U.S.
