2007 GM Powertrain
For immediate release
General Motors will expand the auto industry’s broadest lineup of powertrain products for model year 2007, introducing 19 new or significantly revised engines and transmissions that improve fuel economy, enhance performance, reduce emissions and increase customer choice.
These 19 products follow nine new engines and transmissions launched in 2006.
“The new GM Powertrain products for 2007 continue to demonstrate how we’re using advanced technologies to provide customers with an unprecedented choice of engines and transmissions in GM’s cars and trucks. These advanced powertrains are fuel-efficient while also delivering great performance,” said Tom Stephens, group vice president, GM Powertrain.
The new 2007 powertrain lineup ranges from a new, affordable fuel-sipping hybrid to the most powerful small-block truck V-8 yet produced; from increased offerings of E85 ethanol-capable FlexFuel engines and GM’s industry-leading Active Fuel Management technology to new launches of six-speed automatic transmissions. Highlights include:
Later in 2007, GM will introduce its first V-6 with direct gasoline injection for the North American market. This premium 3.6L engine will be launched in 2008 models to be announced at a later date.
New levels of power and fuel economy
Two new engines demonstrate the capability inherent in GM’s line of Ecotec four-cylinder engines – one delivering new levels of fuel efficiency and the other extreme performance.
The Ecotec 2.0L Turbo is perfectly suited for high-performance applications like the Pontiac Solstice GXP, Saturn Sky Red Line and Opel GT. This is GM’s first North American engine with gasoline direct injection, and it delivers specific output that was almost unimaginable from anything other than a pure race engine just a short time ago. With an advanced dual-scroll turbocharger and a lightweight turbine, the intercooled 2.0L Turbo generates 260 horsepower (194 kW) and 260 lb.-ft. (353 Nm) of torque. At 130 horsepower per liter, or 2.1 horsepower per cubic inch, it has the highest specific output of any GM production engine – ever.
Better still, direct injection technology helps this Ecotec produce more power while maintaining the lower fuel consumption of a smaller displacement engine. With direct injection, fuel is delivered directly to the combustion chamber to create a more complete burn of the air/fuel mixture. Less fuel is required to produce the equivalent horsepower, especially at normal cruising speeds.
Despite its extreme output, the 2.0L Turbo is impressively smooth and tractable in street driving, and like every Ecotec engine, it has been subjected to the toughest, most comprehensive validation process ever carried out at GM Powertrain. It has passed every dynamometer and vehicle test traditionally run by various GM organizations worldwide, not just in North America .
The Ecotec 2.4L Hybrid internal combustion engine was developed specifically for the new GM Hybrid System in the Saturn Vue Green Line and Aura Green Line. The 2.4L Hybrid engine is similar to the Ecotec 2.4L VVT, with all its premium features, including fully variable valve timing.
The objective developing the Ecotec 2.4L Hybrid engine was a flexible, cost-effective design that improves the economics of hybrid power. Key components of the GM Hybrid System include a unique electric motor/generator unit, a dual-tensioning belt drive and sophisticated electronic controls. The Ecotec 2.4L Hybrid engine, along with the GM Hybrid System, delivers increased fuel economy thanks to engine shut-off during stops and fuel cut-off during deceleration. The motor/generator unit supplies electric power assist during acceleration and generates electrical energy through regenerative braking.
The 2.4L Hybrid powertrain is rated at 170 horsepower (127kW)*, a powerful increase from the 143 horsepower provided by the 2.2L engine in the conventional four-cylinder VUE. This maintains the vehicle’s sporty feel, with acceleration better or equal to many non-hybrid SUVs.
In the Vue Green Line, for example, the Ecotec 2.4L Hybrid engine and GM Hybrid System will deliver an estimated 20 percent improvement in fuel economy compared to a conventional four-cylinder Vue, base on EPA mileage ratings. Yet it will be the least expensive hybrid SUV in the marketplace.
3.9-L V-6 engines with Active Fuel Management and E85 capability
GM expands application of its industry-leading Active Fuel Management (AFM) technology with the company’s first V-6 in North America featuring AFM. The 3.9L AFM V6 (LZ8) will be offered as an option in the 2007 Chevy Impala.
Active Fuel Management enables the engine to automatically operate on half its cylinders under light load conditions, improving efficiency by reducing fuel consumption, when the cylinders are deactivated. In fuel-saving mode, the 3.9L V-6 effectively operates as a three-cylinder engine. Yet the 3.9L also delivers strong performance. It is rated at 233 horsepower (174 kW) and 240 lb.-ft. of torque (328 Nm)*, and it immediately switches to full-power mode when the driver accelerates. The transition is almost instantaneous and imperceptible.
A new, sophisticated E38 engine controller determines when to deactivate cylinders, allowing the engine to maintain vehicle speed in lighter-load conditions such as highway cruising. When the cylinders are deactivated, the 3.9L effectively operates as an inline three-cylinder engine, with cylinders 1, 3 and 5 deactivated on the left cylinder bank. The engine returns to V-6 mode the instant the controller determines the vehicle speed or load requires additional power. AFM works synergistically with the 3.9L V-6’s exclusive cam-in-block variable valve timing (VVT) technology. A first for cam-in-block
V-6 engines (recognized by Popular Mechanics with a “Breakthrough Technology Award” in 2005), VVT maximizes the torque available during three-cylinder operation, allowing the 3.9L to operate in fuel-saving mode longer.
Preliminary testing of the 2007 Chevy Impala equipped with the 3.9L V-6 with AFM indicates an estimated 20 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway – improvements of approximately 5.5 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively.
The 3.9L will also be available with E85 FlexFuel operation (LGD) in the 2007 Chevrolet Uplander, Buick Terazza, Saturn Relay and Pontiac Montana ( Montana sold in Canada only). E85 is a clean-burning, alternative fuel made from corn and other crops, composed of 85 percent ethanol alcohol and 15 percent gasoline. The 3.9L’s flex-fuel technology is both sophisticated and durable, and requires no special fuel sensor. GM vehicles with E85 capability can run on 100 percent gasoline or on E85 ethanol fuel or any combination of the two.
All-new Vortec 2.9L and 3.7L inline engines
The HUMMER H3 SUV and Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickups will be powered by new, larger-displacement Inline four- and five-cylinder engines in 2007. The Vortec 2.9L I-4 and Vortec 3.7L I-5 deliver more horsepower and torque than the engines they replace, giving the trucks better performance and enhanced capability.
Both engines are based on GM’s modular Vortec inline family, which includes the 4.2L
I-6 in the Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Saab 9-7X. Premium components include dual overhead camshafts, variable valve timing and electronic throttle control.
Balance shafts help ensure smooth operation and reduced vibration of the engines, providing a higher level of refinement.
In addition to their larger displacement – delivered through larger, 3.76-inch (95.5 mm) bores – the 2.9L and 3.7L engines feature improved airflow in and out of the combustion chambers, which helps boost power.
The Vortec 2.9L DOHC four-cylinder with variable valve timing (VVT) replaces the previous 2.8L four-cylinder and delivers 185 horsepower (138 kW) and 190 lb.-ft of torque (258 Nm).* The Vortec 3.7L DOHC five-cylinder with VVT replaces the previous 3.5L engine and is rated at 242 horsepower (180 KW) and 242 lb.-ft of torque (328 Nm).*
Fuel-efficient Vortec V-8s
The Vortec V-8s for GM’s new full-size pickups and SUVs represent the fourth generation of one of the most important engines in automotive history: the original Chevrolet small-block V-8. Of course, with available features such as cam-in-block variable valve timing and Active Fuel Management, the Gen IV Vortec V-8s offer technology the original small block’s designers could hardly have imagined.
Simply put, these are the most powerful, most fuel-efficient small-block truck engines ever. With aluminum intensive or heavy-duty cast iron construction, E85 flex-fuel capability, the first hybrid power system for full-size pickups and a range of displacements from 4.8- to 6.2-liters, the Vortec V-8s give GM truck buyers more choices than any manufacturer, with an engine suited for every truck owner’s demands. The Gen IV Vortec 4.8L delivers V-8 towing capability with the fuel efficiency of some competitors’ V-6 engines. The all-new 6.2L V-8 for Cadillac Escalade EXT and ESV generates a class-leading 403 horsepower (301 kW) – more than any small-block truck engine before – and 417 lb-ft (565 Nm)* of torque, with the even torque delivery and efficiency associated with variable valve timing. A version of the 6.2L V-8 is also available in the GMC Denali brand.
At face value, the Gen IV Vortec V-8s share little with the original Chevrolet small-block, other than their classic 4.4-inch bore centers. Yet in another sense, the Gen IVs are very much like the original. They use appropriate technology for appropriate applications and bring innovation to the mainstream, with wide application in a high-value package the typical consumer can afford.
Six-speed proliferation
GM’s plan to offer one million vehicles annually with six-speed automatics by 2008 accelerates in 2007 with nearly 40 global vehicle applications of the fuel-saving transmissions.
The Cadillac STS and SRX, Pontiac G6, Saturn Aura, Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave highlight some of the vehicles that will be available with new six-speed automatics in 2007. Other models already on sale include the Chevrolet Corvette, GMC Yukon Denali family, the Cadillac XLR-V, STS-V and Escalade lineup. GM’s roster of six-speed automatic-equipped vehicles also includes the full-size heavy-duty pickups, which match an Allison six-speed automatic with the Duramax 6.6L turbo-diesel engine.
Six-speed automatics improve both performance and fuel economy. A steep first gear delivers brisk off-the-line acceleration or improved load-pulling capability, while a shorter top gear means lower revs at cruising speeds and reduced operational noise. The transmission is also able to use the six gears to evenly distribute the torque and settle at an overdrive gear that helps deliver great fuel economy.
The new Hydra-Matic 6T70 and 6T75 six-speed automatics feature advanced clutch-to-clutch shift operation for front- and all-wheel-drive vehicles. Both are based on a common design, with the 6T75 rated for higher torque capacity. The 6T70 debuts on the Saturn Aura and on a Pontiac G6 model as an option; the 6T75 will be standard on the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and upcoming 2008 Buick Enclave. The clutch-to-clutch operation and 6.04:1 overall ratio help the transmission deliver both performance and fuel economy, enabling up to 7 percent improved performance and up to 4 percent improved fuel economy when compared with current front-wheel drive four-speed automatics. All shifts except 1-2 (the transmission “freewheels” in first gear) feature clutch-to-clutch operation. A simple, efficient design allows six gears to be packaged in the space of a four-speed automatic, giving platform engineers more latitude in vehicle design.
The 6T70 and 6T75 also feature Driver Shift Control (DSC), which allows the driver to use tap-up/tap-down shifting to manually select the desired gear for specific road conditions, such as driving up a steep hill.
The new Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed transmission debuts in certain Cadillac STS rear- and all-wheel drive performance sedans and the V-8 powered SRX crossover SUV. The 6L50 is the second model of four new variants in the RWD six-speed transmission family and benefits from the expertise developed with the larger 6L80 rear-wheel drive six-speed transmission (initially launched in the 2006 model year).
As with other GM six-speeds, the 6L50 delivers smaller steps between gears, enabling the vehicle to quickly find the best gear. A higher numerical first gear delivers strong acceleration from a standstill and two overdrive gears enable improved fuel economy through lower engine rpms at cruising speed. Also, the lower rpm achieved with the sixth gear reduces engine noise and vibration on the highway.
The 6L50 is designed with the torque capacity to work in cars, SUVs and light trucks, and features advanced electronic controls. The 6L50 also uses the Driver Shift Control feature.
Right for the times
The 19 all-new engines and transmissions launching for 2007 emphasize GM’s leadership in automotive powertrain design and production. Moreover, the lineup reinforces GM’s commitment to alternative fuels and environmentally friendly products, as well as maximizing choice for new-vehicle buyers.
In 2007, GM will offer 17 E85-compatible FlexFuel models totaling about 400,000 vehicles, compared to nine models in 2006. A GM FlexFuel vehicle can run on 100-percent gasoline, E85 ethanol or any combination of the two. The company already has more than 2 million flex-fuel models on North American roads.
Likewise, GM will have two million AFM-equipped models on the road. This fuel-saving technology is available in 15 models of all types in 2007 (including models with the 5.3L V-8 engine with AFM and the Chevy Impala with the new 3.9L V-6 with AFM).
GM also leads the industry in applying the new voluntary SAE Certification process, and will certify horsepower and torque for all new engines under independent review. GM began SAE Certification in 2005, certifying seven engines for a total of 22 models. For the 2007 model year, GM certified an additional 24 engines, totaling 102 applications.
“Our customers demand models that can get the job done, are fun to drive, and are as fuel-efficient as possible,” Stephens said. “We continue to be committed to delivering great powertrain products that will power this company forward.”
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit , GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries . In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally. GM’s global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit . More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.
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*Horsepower and torque SAE certified. A new voluntary power and torque certification procedure developed by the SAE Engine Test Code committee was approved March 31, 2005. This procedure (J2723) ensures fair, accurate ratings for horsepower and torque by allowing manufacturers to certify their engines through third-party witness testing.
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Contact:
Susan Garavaglia
GM Powertrain Communications
Phone: 248-857-4368
Mobile: 313-378-9335
E-mail: susan.garavaglia@gm.com
Tom Read
GM Powertrain Communications
Phone: 248-857-4006
E-mail: tom.read@gm.com