It wasn't that long ago that General Motors was swearing off internal combustion for propelling its future vehicles, envisioning instead an era without gasoline or tailpipes. But by the time GM started talking a few years ago about a redesigned sixth-generation small-block V8, it was clear that the auto industry was re-evaluating the landscape for future mobility.ChevroletWe learned just a few weeks ago that the new small-block V8 is ready for prime time, debuting in the 2027 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, displacing a stout 6.7 liters in LS6 dress with 535 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque.This low-volume LS6 V8 follows five generations of small-blocks that began in 1955 and reached the production milestone of 100 million units 15 years ago, with modern pickup trucks, SUVs, and sports cars still relying on the fifth-generation pushrod overhead-valve engine.Now that the LS6 has been revealed, we'll start getting more details about its sixth-generation V8 siblings that will be going into production at much higher volumes for mainstream vehicles. 6th-Gen Small Block For Pickups General MotorsAnd make no mistake – way more engines are coming. The latest bit of V8 news centers on Saginaw, Michigan, where GM is investing another $150 million to emphasize the mass in mass-production. The facility is tooling up for all-new metal castings of blocks and heads to build the next-gen small-block V8s, all destined for use in next-generation GM full-size pickup trucks. The timing tracks, because the 2027 Chevy Silverado 1500 and 2027 GMC Sierra 1500 will debut later this year.The castings will be shipped from Saginaw to GM's engine plant nearby in Flint, which makes the new LS6 for the Corvette Grand Sport. GM has already spent $500 million in tooling up the Flint plant for small-block engine production. Some of those truck V8s will be shipped 37 miles to GM's Lake Orion, Michigan, plant, which has been badly underutilized for years and is now being prepped for 2027 Silverado and Sierra production. A Corvette Preview ChevroletThe first next-gen engine made a surprise debut with the new Corvette Grand Sport, a vehicle which also surprised the motoring world with an unexpected debut in March at Sebring. While it's not likely GM will festoon its mainstream pickup trucks with a 535-hp engine, the 6.7-liter should replace the current 6.2-liter, which is... having some reliability issues among other things.If we use the Corvette Stingray's previous 6.2-liter engine as a basis for comparison, a new 6.7-liter V8 for truck use could punch out around 450 horsepower and over 500 pound-feet of torque. That would be a notable increase from the 6.2, outclassing the 420-hp standard-output Hurricane I6 in Ram trucks while leaving room for higher-output versions to challenge the high-output 550-hp Rams. As for Ford, it would match up with EcoBoost-powered F-150s making 450 hp. And it would do all this without turbo lag.StellantisWhile the Saginaw casting plant is tooling up for the new engine, GM says it will continue producing fifth-generation V-8 engine blocks, but it's not clear for how long. Saginaw is GM's third-oldest facility in the US, with more than 300 employees across three shifts."The plant is well-positioned for the future," plant Director John Lancaster said. "This not only secures existing jobs but also strengthens the local economy, and ensures the plant continues to be an integral part of the automotive supply chain.”
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