GM reveals new Ecotec engine family

General Motors has revealed a new generation of Ecotec small-displacement engines built on a modular architecture which, the company claims, delivers "leading-edge efficiency, refinement and durability".

A total of 11 engines will be part of the new Ecotec family comprising three- and four-cylinder units with displacements ranging from 1.0- to 1.5 litres. Some of these will be equipped with turbochargers, while the rest will be compatible to hybrid and alternative fuel applications. GM claims that the new engines are "highly adaptable" and "less complex" to produce. The company hasn't released specific details on power outputs yet, but has confirmed that they range from 75bhp to 165bhp. The 2015 Chevrolet Cruze, which will be launched later this year, will see an Ecotec engine under its hood.

By 2017, more than 2.5 million new Ecotec engines are projected to be built annually in at least five GM manufacturing locations around the globe: Flint, Michigan (US); Shenyang, China; Szentgotthárd, Hungary; Toluca, Mexico; and Changwon, South Korea. The Flint facility alone represents an investment of more than $200 million in technology and tooling to support the engines’ production.

“Transportation solutions vary around the world and GM is committed to developing engines matched to the needs of the regions where they’re sold,” said Steve Kiefer, GM vice-president, Global Powertrain Engineering. “The new engine family is designed to achieve segment-leading refinement and efficiency, and will make its way into five GM brands and 27 models by the 2017 model year.”

The new Ecotec engines represent a clean-sheet design and engineering process, leveraging the diverse experience of GM’s global resources. Technologies such as central direct fuel injection, continuously variable valve timing, turbocharging and variable intake manifold airflow help achieve efficiency goals with broad power bands, for an optimal balance of strong performance and lower fuel consumption.

“The new Ecotec architecture represents the most advanced and efficient family of small-car gas engines in GM’s history,” said Tom Sutter, global chief engineer. “Along with performance and efficiency targets, we’ve also aimed for segment-leading refinement with low noise and vibration – and we’ve hit the bulls-eye.”

Modularity in parts – such as four-cylinder and three-cylinder blocks – that share bore spacing, bore diameter, liners and other dimensions, reduces complexity while increasing the flexibility to quickly adapt the architecture for new applications.

Photograph: Ecotec 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine (right), Ecotec 1.4-litre turbocharged engine (left) and the Ecotec 1.5-litre engine (centre).

PRELIMINARY SPECIFICATIONS