Photo: USPTO
Indirectly confirmed in standard- and high-output flavors, the 3.0-liter Tornado straight-six engine will be available as a plug-in hybrid next year according to a fresh yet unverified report. Given the rising gas prices, a twin-turbo sixer with plug-in assistance couldn’t arrive at a better time.
Expected to premiere in April at the New York International Auto Show in high-output specification, the GME T6 is a clean-sheet design based on the GME T4. Also known as Hurricane, the 2.0-liter turbo premiered in the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Also produced in the United States, the four-pot engine is also found under the hoods of the Stelvio, various Jeep models including the JL/JLU Wrangler, the Maserati Ghibli Hybrid, and Levante Hybrid.
The Tornado, by comparison, is produced in Mexico since November 2021 according to a since-deleted press release. Given that Saltillo is where Fiat Chrysler makes the 5.7-liter HEMI, 6.4-liter HEMI, and 6.2-liter Hellcat, it’s pretty obvious that Fiat Chrysler is preparing for the V8 apocalypse.
Don’t, however, mourn the HEMI-branded engine family because it's not going to be discontinued anytime soon. The peeps at Fiat Chrysler decided on a force-fed sixer due to increasingly stringent fuel economy requirements for light-duty vehicles. In addition to its twin-turbo setup, the long-anticipated Tornado also happens to be smaller than the free-breathing Pentastar V6.
It’s only natural to expect better gas mileage, but we can’t say for certain how much of a difference there is between the 3.0- and 3.6-liter engines in the same vehicle. Speaking of which, the Ram 1500 pickup truck has been indirectly confirmed by Stellantis with the inline-six.
Other applications of the GME T6 include the JL/JLU Wrangler, JT Gladiator, WL Grand Cherokee, and the Wagoneer twins that bear the WS codename. According to Mopar Insiders, the plug-in hybrid will be fitted with the 8P75PH automatic transmission supplied by ZF Friedrichshafen.
It’s the very same tranny Jeep uses in the Wrangler 4xe, which houses the motor-generator unit. The cited publication quotes 134 horsepower and 181 pound-feet (245 Nm) of torque. Considering that ZF also produces the 8HP80PH PHEV in P2 configuration, there is a possibility of higher-output variants with up to 215 hp and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of all-electric power.
The Tornado, by comparison, is produced in Mexico since November 2021 according to a since-deleted press release. Given that Saltillo is where Fiat Chrysler makes the 5.7-liter HEMI, 6.4-liter HEMI, and 6.2-liter Hellcat, it’s pretty obvious that Fiat Chrysler is preparing for the V8 apocalypse.
Don’t, however, mourn the HEMI-branded engine family because it's not going to be discontinued anytime soon. The peeps at Fiat Chrysler decided on a force-fed sixer due to increasingly stringent fuel economy requirements for light-duty vehicles. In addition to its twin-turbo setup, the long-anticipated Tornado also happens to be smaller than the free-breathing Pentastar V6.
It’s only natural to expect better gas mileage, but we can’t say for certain how much of a difference there is between the 3.0- and 3.6-liter engines in the same vehicle. Speaking of which, the Ram 1500 pickup truck has been indirectly confirmed by Stellantis with the inline-six.
Other applications of the GME T6 include the JL/JLU Wrangler, JT Gladiator, WL Grand Cherokee, and the Wagoneer twins that bear the WS codename. According to Mopar Insiders, the plug-in hybrid will be fitted with the 8P75PH automatic transmission supplied by ZF Friedrichshafen.
It’s the very same tranny Jeep uses in the Wrangler 4xe, which houses the motor-generator unit. The cited publication quotes 134 horsepower and 181 pound-feet (245 Nm) of torque. Considering that ZF also produces the 8HP80PH PHEV in P2 configuration, there is a possibility of higher-output variants with up to 215 hp and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of all-electric power.
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