From GM...
GM To Invest $494 Million In U.S. Manufacturing For Next-Generation Ecotec Engines
-Three plants involved in project: Tonawanda, NY; Defiance, OH and Bay City, MI
-Project results in nearly 550 jobs
-Next generation Ecotec engines will continue to provide the right combination of fuel efficiency and performance to meet customer expectations
General Motors will invest more than $494 million and create nearly 550 jobs in three U.S. plants to produce the next generation fuel efficient Ecotec engine. The project consists of the following:
Tonawanda -- $425 million site investment will add capacity for the next generation Ecotec engine at 370,000 per year and bring about 470 jobs to that community
Defiance – $59 million site investment will support precision sand cast block at a capacity of 188,000 annually and result in about 80 jobs to that community
Bay City – $10.5 million site investment will bring new product to the plant (Ecotec connecting rod) and will create about 15 jobs for that plant.
The investment includes facility renovation, new machinery, equipment and special tooling to support this engine program at the three plants.
“GM is transforming its product portfolio to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, and the next generation Ecotec engine is an integral part of that transformation,” said Denise Johnson, vice president – labor relations. “The investment in state-of-the-art four-cylinder engines is another example of GM’s commitment to replace larger-displacement engines with more compact, advanced four-cylinder engines that optimize fuel savings and performance. We look forward to working with our union partners at these three plants to make this investment a success.”
The investment in Tonawanda, supported by the investments at Defiance and Bay City, will go toward producing two next-generation Ecotec engines. The new engines will have additional capabilities to improve fuel efficiency and improve performance through advanced design and by adding technology.
The Ecotec engine family is known for its reliability, fuel efficiency and performance. GM Ecotec engines have been on the forefront of delivering leading edge technology including direct injection, variable valve timing and turbocharging. Direct fuel injection, a hallmark of many Ecotec engines since 2007, is just now becoming mainstream technology in the industry.
The current Ecotec 2.4L with direct injection and variable valve timing in the Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain was recently recognized as one of Ward’s Auto World magazine’s 2010 “Ten Best Engines” for North America based on several factors, including power, fuel efficiency and new technology. The Ecotec is currently available in 2.0L, 2.2L and 2.4L displacements.
“This investment is important because it supports manufacturing in the United States,” said Cal Rapson, vice president and director, UAW International Union. “All three plants have a strong reputation for building quality and focusing on the needs of our customers.”
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-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
Super news!
Bill Hahn Jr.
Hahn RaceCraft
World's Quickest and Fastest Street J-Bodies
Turbocharging GM FWD's since 1988
www.turbosystem.com
woot woot .....finally some really good news from GM
RIP JESSE GERARD.....Youll always be in my thoughts and prayers...
Hmm so what's in store for the "next gen" ecotec? IMO the LNF is the ultimate win right now despite it's hefty "tunability" handicaps (read as - hpt gave us enough to be dangerous but not enough to go all out)
Thats good news, any idea on what they are planning to do for the next gen?
wow they will pretty much be designing them in my backyard!
boo for timing belt - that's a step backwards. No one likes a 30,000 mile service interval. boo for iron block. Do the ones you've shown share any lineage with the E-TEC crap that was in the original aveo?
Timing chain is indeed better just because of less maintenance IMO, but for NVH, belts are quieter. Those "E-tec" or "D-Tec" found in Daewoos or Aveos are all GM-Opel designed and engineered. Saab's "Ecopower" is another from Opel, Saab helped with the F/I.
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-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
Thats some good news for tonawanda...such a @!#$ hole these days..
Rosario wrote:Thats some good news for tonawanda...such a @!#$ hole these days..
Yup, last time I was there I felt the same way.
belt driven and front exhaust
belt driven and front exhaust im sure they are using a belt because noise complants but look on the Bright side many of these motors are going to turbo form the factory. So that means hahn is going to put a chevy spark in to the tens some day
http://spark.chevrolet.com/geneva-v1/en_US/html/index.htm 
GM customers will never accept the cost of a timming belt replacement. They'll drive it till it breaks like they did with the 3.4dohc.
Iron block sucks!
I would have an Astra if it weren't for the low ball engine.
