Chevrolet Reports

"Given the current economic climate," says GM, the much-anticipated 4.5-liter baby Duramax diesel V-8 engine has been placed on "indefinite hold." They've had Duramax aficionados drooling at the prospect of installing the high-tech, high-efficiency unit in the Chevrolet Silverado light-duty pickup for the 2010 model year. While we can understand the General's need to cut costs wherever possible as it tries desperately to avert bankruptcy proceedings, it's a shame that Chevy won't get this engine ASAP. While they're extending the 2-Mode hybrid technology to the Silverado light-duty pickup line, its claimed 25 percent economy boost is no better than that promised by the 4.5-liter Duramax. Chevy will continue to offer the 6.6-liter Duramax diesel, a favorite for towers and haulers, in its heavy duty Silverado lineup. Much like the 2010 Camaro, the revolutionary engineering and development of the 4.5-liter small Duramax is proof that Chevrolet is undergoing a dramatic reinvention that's bringing the bowtie back to prominence. Check out these details: exhaust manifolds on the inside of the cylinder banks for turbo location and space efficiency, elimination of intake manifolds altogether, piezo-electric injection for power and clean emissions, aluminum heads for weight savings, and even more "things GM has never done in the crankcase of a regular production engine" according to Automotive News. "On paper, at least, it has the potential to be the first great engine of GM's second century," they said last fall. Hopefully Chevrolet, and GM, will weather this horrible market, unleash the 4.5-liter Duramax diesel, and proceed to dominate the towing/hauling pickup segment. It just sounds too good an engine to be shut away forever.

GM recently announced that despite huge financial losses, it still plans to build the 1.4-liter "Family 0" engine that will power a new generation of small, efficient vehicles including the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. and 2011 Chevrolet Volt (a generator in the latter vehicle) . On February 24 they announced an investment of $250 million to push the program further forward. But the program is not without compromises. Naturally, GM's tenuous situation is felt across every division, and as such the Family 0 powerplants will not get their own production facility as was originally planned. Instead, they'll clear aside some space in GM's Flint South engine plant. The GM PR machine cites "capital expenditure constraints" and "available floor space in existing facilities." Benefits to the Flint South engine plant arrangement include the ability to produce different engines under one roof without the need for retooling. If GM files for bankruptcy, an option that has been looking more like an inevitability in recent days, will they have the money to keep Family 0 pressing forward? Chevrolet intends to begin production of the engine in December 2010; as GM scrambles to boost sales in a shrinking market that prizes fuel efficiency, it's a shame this engine is not already on the market.

HUMMER is almost history, Olds has been dead for years, and if GM is to survive the market crisis, it looks like it will have to shed, shutter, or consolidate at least a few more of its many divisions. TheCarConnection.com has reported on the proposed elimination of Saab, Saturn, and Pontiac, a move GM announced partially in hopes of gaining more access to federal funds so the struggling company can remain solvent. It looks like Chevrolet is safe, and if other divisions go away, it will likely assume at least one or two of their more valuable and relevant models. Saab doesn't really have anything that other divisions do not (the 9-3 shares a platform with other GM mid-size sedans), so that Swedish division will probably just go the way of Oldsmobile. Saturn vehicles, which are mostly underpinned by GM Europe platforms, could be tweaked and morphed into Chevrolets. The Saturn Vue is a far superior product than the Chevrolet Equinox, so perhaps it could replace that vehicle. The Saturn Astra is a fun drive, if an underpowered one, but it might clog Chevrolet's small car lineup, especially with the arrival of new Chevy small cars on the horizon (like the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and 2011 Chevrolet Volt). The Outlook and Aura are just GM re-badges, and the Saturn Sky would likely go away altogether, along with its brother the Pontiac Solstice. Pontiac closely mirrors Chevrolet's lineup - too closely, many feel. Its only unique models are the G8 and and Solstice. I vote for the front-drive Chevrolet Impala to get the axe, and for Chevy to put that nameplate on the rear-drive high-performance G8. It would be a shame to lose the Pontiac Solstice; though improbable, perhaps Chevy could use that platform to build itself a mini-Corvette, therefore gaining entry to the lower-price convertible/roadster market. Not a strong sell in a recession, but it would be a great halo vehicle for Chevy, especially with the excellent 2.0-liter direct-injected, turbocharged EcoTec four. I'd most like to see Chevrolet develop a competitive small truck. The Chevrolet Colorado was pretty much DOA, with weak-kneed engines, a lack of refinement, and an uncomfortably narrow cabin. A truck competitive with the likes of the Honda Ridgeline and Toyota Tacoma would garner Chevrolet some sales in that market, and lend Chevy a small truck it could be proud of. But with GM's financial crisis and a down market, it's unlikely Chevrolet could get the kind of R&D money needed for such a project. How do you think a brave new Chevrolet lineup will look, and what models would you like to see added, or deleted, from the current crop?