Photo: GM
Introduced for the 2019 model year in the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 full-size pickup truck, the four-cylinder turbo bearing production order code L3B should have received a straight-six turbo sibling. According to sources close to General Motors, the force-fed I6 powerplant has been reportedly canned.
GM Authority understands that General Motors first considered making an L3B-based sixer in 2022. Envisioned with a twin-turbo setup, mirroring the Hurricane 3.0-liter engine developed by Stellantis, the discontinued powerplant would have been developed in accordance with GM’s so-called Cylinder Set Strategy.
The tl;dr version of CSS is bringing engines to market while maximizing economies of scale. The Cylinder Set Strategy was allegedly scaled down over the Detroit-based automaker’s pivot towards electric vehicles, which is a bit of a bummer given that General Motors started so well with the 2.7-liter L3B and the 3.0-liter Duramax.
But still, what did you expect? General Motors proudly announced that it’s going to offer electric vehicles only by 2035, a business plan that pleases the state of California where all new passenger vehicles will be electric by 2025. General Motors has also championed more restrictive federal clean car standards to reduce greenhouse gas and nitrogen oxide tailpipe emissions.
The premium-oriented Buick brand and luxury-oriented Cadillac brand are both going electric by 2030. Now that we have a clearer picture of GM’s intentions, pouring millions into the development and production of a six-cylinder mill can only be described as wasted money.
GM Authority further understands that the biggest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit was targeting 500 horsepower and 500 pound-feet (678 Nm) of torque from the canceled V8. Said numbers are considerably better numbers than the small-block L84 and L87 in GM’s half-ton pickups. For reference, the 5.3-liter L84 produces 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet (519 Nm) compared to 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet (624 Nm) for the 6.2-liter L87.
One could make a case for the superior reliability of a naturally-aspirated V8, but then again, the EPA is more interested in better efficiency rather than reliability. We also have to remember that a turbocharged engine is a stressed engine, and putting a stressed engine to work in the form of towing will make dealer techs all too happy to charge you lots of dollars for service more often.
Not all is lost, though, because the sixth-generation small block has been confirmed as part of an $854 million investment. There are no specific details on the Gen 6 to speak of at the moment of writing, but keeping the V8 alive is the best thing that GM could have to strengthen its full-size truck and SUV segments. The sixth-gen small block may also find application in the next-generation Corvette, which is expected to soldier on with internal combustion engines such as the current LT2.
The tl;dr version of CSS is bringing engines to market while maximizing economies of scale. The Cylinder Set Strategy was allegedly scaled down over the Detroit-based automaker’s pivot towards electric vehicles, which is a bit of a bummer given that General Motors started so well with the 2.7-liter L3B and the 3.0-liter Duramax.
But still, what did you expect? General Motors proudly announced that it’s going to offer electric vehicles only by 2035, a business plan that pleases the state of California where all new passenger vehicles will be electric by 2025. General Motors has also championed more restrictive federal clean car standards to reduce greenhouse gas and nitrogen oxide tailpipe emissions.
The premium-oriented Buick brand and luxury-oriented Cadillac brand are both going electric by 2030. Now that we have a clearer picture of GM’s intentions, pouring millions into the development and production of a six-cylinder mill can only be described as wasted money.
GM Authority further understands that the biggest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit was targeting 500 horsepower and 500 pound-feet (678 Nm) of torque from the canceled V8. Said numbers are considerably better numbers than the small-block L84 and L87 in GM’s half-ton pickups. For reference, the 5.3-liter L84 produces 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet (519 Nm) compared to 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet (624 Nm) for the 6.2-liter L87.
One could make a case for the superior reliability of a naturally-aspirated V8, but then again, the EPA is more interested in better efficiency rather than reliability. We also have to remember that a turbocharged engine is a stressed engine, and putting a stressed engine to work in the form of towing will make dealer techs all too happy to charge you lots of dollars for service more often.
Not all is lost, though, because the sixth-generation small block has been confirmed as part of an $854 million investment. There are no specific details on the Gen 6 to speak of at the moment of writing, but keeping the V8 alive is the best thing that GM could have to strengthen its full-size truck and SUV segments. The sixth-gen small block may also find application in the next-generation Corvette, which is expected to soldier on with internal combustion engines such as the current LT2.
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