GM Scraps Twin-Turbo Gas Inline-Six Truck and SUV Engine: Report

General Motors already has excellent V8s, so a boosted six doesn’t make a ton of sense.

byJames Gilboy|
2023 Chevrolet SIlverado ZR2 Bison
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General Motors is so proud of its diesel-like 2.7-liter that the turbo four-banger is basically replacing V6s in GM trucks. But the small-block V8s remain safe, especially now that GM has reportedly killed a six-cylinder truck engine that might've replaced bigger engines, like the 6.2-liter.

Last May, rumor spread that GM was planning a six-cylinder truck engine to compete directly with Stellantis' new turbo-six Hurricane motor. It's already used in the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and it will supposedly power a Ram too. GM's engine was reportedly intended to power its full-size trucks and SUVs, such as the Chevy Silverado, Suburban, and its GMC and Cadillac siblings. The emphasis belongs on was, because the source that broke the news of the six-cylinder—GM Authority—now says it's dead in the water.

GM's 2.7-liter four-cylinder turbo truck engine in the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado. James Gilboy

In its eulogy for the would-be engine, GM Authority reports the motor to have been an inline six with twin turbochargers. It was reportedly based on the 2.7-liter in the solid 2023 Colorado and Silverado, likely giving it a displacement of around 4.0 liters. Output was reportedly estimated to be around 500 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, though it's easy to imagine it making close to 650 lb-ft when napkin-mathed up from the 2.7's max of 430 lb-ft. Just speculation on our part, but it would've likely supplemented (if not replaced) the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel or naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8.

However, with GM investing in a new generation of its proven and popular small-block V8s, it has no obvious need for an equivalent engine. It'd be harder to package, more complex, and therefore costlier, all for what'd amount to a limited improvement in emissions. If it was killed this early in its reported development, the turbo six clearly never had a place in this world—as good an engine as it probably would have been.

GM declined to comment when reached by The Drive.

Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com

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