Driving Sports

General Motors has announced that they will invest more than $494 million and create nearly 550 jobs in three U.S. plants to produce their next generation fuel efficient Ecotec engine. The project consists of investments in the  Tonawanda, New York plant totaling $425 million for site capacity for 370,000 engines per year. The plant will add about 470 jobs to that community.

Additionally, GM will invest $59 million in the plant at Defiance, Ohio to build precision sand-cast engine blocks at a capacity of 188,000 annually and about 80 jobs in that community, and $10.5 million and about 15 jobs in Bay City, Michigan to make connecting rods for the Ecotec.

"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."

Like the Ford EcoBoost, GM Ecotec engines feature 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. On the other hand, diesel engines have been direct-injected for about 100 years, so it's about time the gas engines caught up.

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 a Ward's Auto World magazine's 2010 "Ten Best Engine" 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."