The Buffalo News is reporting that GM’s Tonawanda engine plant will be getting the nod to produce a new engine for the company. This will result in the retention of existing workers and potentially some workers being called back to duty. The story seems to indicate that the engine will be the next generation Ecotec. We were hoping for a multi-carb’d 327.
Regardless of our Neanderthal preferences, this is good news for the workers at the storied plant. We recently reported that the last 8.1L gas engine left the doors at Tonawanda. It seems to us that this new mill will fill the void left by the dead of the traditional big block Chevy. It will fill it physically, but not emotionally among BangShifters.
The plant currently makes its bones churning out the L850 4-banger for the Cobalt and base Malibu models. As we’ve not heard of major problems and/or recently trendy recalls, we’re thinking that the plant builds good stuff.
Currently, 630 people hit the punch clock at the plant daily, with nearly 300 people on an indefinite layoff due to lower production volume. Assuming that the new engine is a hit, some of those 300 could be back to work, sooner rather than later. That’s good news to us.
Source — BuffaloNews.com — GM event stirs speculation of new engine
