Sure, General Motors killed its Ultra V-8 program last month, but Tom Stephens, GM’s group vice president for global powertrain and quality, told Inside Line the V-8 isn’t dead, yet.
He said that the Ultra V-8 is shelved for now, but could be revisited for future applications, saying, the V-8 was “as refined as anything in the history of internal-combustion engines. It was the quietest engine we’ve ever tested.”
But, the Ultra V-8 engine’s fate may be sealed by consumers, as Stephens pointed out that 85 percent of the Cadillac SRX and STS buyers opted for the 3.6L DOHC V-6 instead of the Northstar V-8.
However, the small-block V-8 is still powering on in the Corvette and Cadillac V-Series models.
Can the V-8 make a comeback in the ever-increasingly green world?
Let us know in the comments.
+ Edmund’s Inside Line: V8 Engine Is Far From Dead at GM
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There isn’t any reason that the same technology being used to increase performance, emissions and better fuel consumption on the latest generation of V6s and I4s can’t be used to improve a V8 as well. Look how far GM has come with the “lowly” pushrod technology.
Roland makes an excellent point, with direct injection and other fuel saving technologies, the V8 could “guzzle” less gas, and maybe get the same milage as some V6’s, all that needs to be done is to actually put money into doing it, and maybe bring out those HCCi engines
Amen Roland. This should be a test to their engineers (don’t they brag about having some of the worlds best???) Putting it on the shelf is retarded. Offer the same technology in the 8’s that the 6’s have, and I bet the sales would increase because the differences would be more obvious to more people. Don’t they always want to sell cars with higher content to make more PROFIT? Or has the General forgotten about that part of business and marketing?
I hate it when the press does this. The V-8 was predicted to be phased out by the early 1980s when the 8 cyl. engine was under more trouble than it is today. Consumer advocates proclaimed the V-8 obsolete, as smaller German and Japanese cars reliably used four-cylinder engines for economy and sixes for performance in smaller vehicles. The Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro, performance icons, came equipped with foru-cylinder engines.
How far we’ve come. Toyota widely uses a V-8 in trucks and luxury cars. BMW operates a V-8 in its M3. The economical Koreans have jumped on the V-8 bandwagon. To say the V-8 is doomed or is going to take a neglected post is about as foolish as the press’s prediction Fred Thompson was going to be the GOP’s presidential nominee.
I just wish GM would STFU until it actually DOES things. Who cares what it might or might not do. Show me product.
I am sure the ultra v8 was an awesome product yet I believe GM’s LS3 and its various derivatives can deliver everything cadillac needs in addition to its fine 3.6 liter 304hp DI V6.
I own both the 2008 C6 corvette LS3 with 436hp and new 2008 CTS AWD FE2 304hp V6 model.
Both great vehicles yet I couldn’t help wondering what a fine vehicle a CTS Sport would have been had the ls3 been dropped in between the 3.6 DI and the 550 hp CTS V recently released..
Its light, its got small packaging capabilities and its powerful.
JMO
JBsC6, that is the best idea ever, I have always wished the CTS had an engine between the 3.6 V6 and the CTS-V engine
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