virgivaughn: GM Engine Plans for 2014 Appear to Include LS7 V-8 for Camaro, New Twin-Turbo V-6 Elsewhere

GM 2014 engine strategy

What appears to be an authentic GM document outlining the company’s powertrain plans for 2014 was posted on the Camaro5 forums (and subsequently appeared on Motor Authority), and it contains some pretty juicy stuff. The big news: The 7.0-liter LS7 V-8 from today’s Chevrolet Corvette Z06—and 427 convertible—may be headed for the Camaro’s engine bay. But that’s not all: The document also indicates that the 2014 Buick Verano will ditch its base, naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder for a turbocharged 1.6-liter four. Finally, GM is adding a twin-turbocharged, 3.6-liter V-6 to its corporate engine coffers; while it’s not tied to any specific vehicles in the paperwork, we have some ideas, so read on.

The twin-turbo six, as we’ve speculated many times already, likely will show up under the hood of the high-performance 2014 Cadillac ATS-V, as well as the next-generation CTS and Chevrolet Camaro. The next iteration of Chevrolet’s large, rear-drive SS sedan may see the twin-turbo V-6, too, and even Cadillac’s lukewarm XTS could get a transverse-optimized version. Perhaps more likely, however, is that it serves as the base engine for Cadillac’s forthcoming Omega-platform flagship, as we reported last May. One might also theorize that, should Ford continue to sell loads of EcoBoosted F-150 pickups, GM could get in on the gambit and stuff its blown six into the Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra.

We’re not totally sold on that last bit of speculation, given that GM just spent big bucks to completely redesign its 4.3-liter V-6 for its full-size pickups. Company representatives at the launch event for the 2014 Silverado and Sierra also openly scoffed at the idea of turbocharged pickups; we suspect the reason is that they’re far less profitable. But things could change. As for the LS7-powered Camaro, our guess is that it will be a limited-production swan song for the current-generation pony car, which will be redesigned for 2016 on GM’s Alpha platform. The LS7 Camaro may be an end-of-run special, but you can bet we’re excited for its arrival.

One other intriguing entry pertains to the 2014 Chevy Sonic, whose engine portfolio appears to explode from its current two-engine lineup (a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter four and a turbo 1.4-liter four) to a whopping four engines, not counting flex-fuel versions. This comes with a large asterisk, however given that the two new engines (a non-turbo 1.6-liter four and 1.3-liter diesel four) are available in Europe, and there is an entry in the list of Sonic models for “Export non-U.S., non-Canada.” So it could be that these engines simply being lumped together with the U.S.-specific units, and not that they’re destined for our shores.

(The document has been taken down from the GM service site, but was previously available here.)

GM 2014 engine strategy