GM Ready for Smaller Engines When Customers Are

[Minnesota Nice]

People were ready for small engines a few years ago. There's a reason the Corolla and Civic sell so well, and it isn't because of their looks.

For GM just to be catching on now that small engines and fuel economy are important means they were sleeping behind the wheel again.

[HotCarNut]

Originally Posted by HoosierRon

Someone please tell me how on earth customers are supposed to "signal their readiness to accept smaller engines". Is GM staring at a Ouija board? Is it scanning the sky for smoke signals?

Yes....Quite obviously and inexorably, the only rational answer is yes.....

I think they've also taken to:
Consulting Psychics
Reading their online Horoscopes
Holding Seances with CEOs of GM's glory days
Bringing a crystal ball to all executive meetings
Practicing their palm readings
Interpreting their dreams
Meditating with "incense"
and mind-opening Hallucinogenic drugs

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by HoosierRon

Someone please tell me how on earth customers are supposed to "signal their readiness to accept smaller engines". Is GM staring at a Ouija board? Is it scanning the sky for smoke signals? Here is a signal that GM can interpret: Toyota is sold out of the Prius, and Honda is making a profit.

Or how about this: Saturn offers a 4 cylinder Aura, and sales go up. Or: Chevrolet offers a manual only Cobalts XFE, and they sell 4 times as many as they thought they would.

And one more thing. If Cadillac could do a turbocharged engine, and I quote, "today", why are we not going to see a Beat for 4 years?

Excellent point.

If GM could do a 4-cylinder turbo CTS "today", why not offer it? If no one wants it, they can discontinue it. They have the engine for RWD configuration in the Sky Redline already, how hard would it be to put it into the CTS?

[HoosierRon]

Originally Posted by motorman

because not a lot of people are rushing into the dealership asking for 4 cylinder engines. my dealer,chevy, is still selling V-6 and V-8 vehicles at the rate of 2 to1 over the 4 cylinder ones.

I can't imagine. I mean, just because Chevrolet does not offer a 4 cylinder engine in the Silverado, Avalanche, Suburban, Tahoe, Trailblazer, Equinox, Express, Uplander, Impala or Corvette, and the models that do offer a 4 cylinder are generally uncompetitive (Aveo) or offer a V-6 (Malibu) I would think that you would be selling more 4 cylinders.

[HoosierRon]

Originally Posted by Michael_S

If GM could do a 4-cylinder turbo CTS "today", why not offer it? If no one wants it, they can discontinue it. They have the engine for RWD configuration in the Sky Redline already, how hard would it be to put it into the CTS?

Because GM only offers "sure fire" models, like the SSR, GTO, Aztec and Astra.

[HotCarNut]

Originally Posted by Chaz_23

No #$%@. Who the hell is going to want an anemic engine in the CTS. What's next, a 3-cylinder in a Suburban? The trick, Tommy-boy, is to put small engines in small affordable cars. How about readying those, huh?
This is of course a farse by GM to "prove" that no one wants small engines. "Hey look, we're doing all we can: offering tiny engines in the CTS, Camaro, etc. and no one's buying them, therefore we'll stop production of all 4-cylinder engines."

Anemic? You think 260 bhp is anemic??? What planet are you on? Most of the V8s of yore didn't put out 260 bhp, and especially not out of 2.4L of displacement.

The key isn't the number of cylinders, it's power to weight ratio and fuel economy. A turbo 4-cylinder with the right gearing can be just as good as the 3.6L DI V6. Face the facts that next to nobody uses all 300 bhp offered in that DI engine, and the 2.4L Ecotec makes as much bhp as the base 3.6L V-6. Even if fuel economy is only marginally better (say 10%) it is still an improvement that GM can brag about - same power, better mpg.

[1931Chevy]

I think they should not wait for the customers and have the guts of doing it now, if Ford gets the small ecoboost engines online they will have the advantage and why wait then

[guitarlix]

I can hardly believe the words that come out of the mouths of GM upper management on a weekly basis. At this point, I have to wonder if aliens have taken over their bodies. Has the whole company gone barking mad?

GM is totally without direction. A bunch of departments ('brands') being reshuffled back and forth trying 100 new things at a time............this is insanity. At at a time when strong direction and leadership are required, GM is faced with its biggest problem ever - horrible management.

No different from the problem America as a country faces to be honest...

While the Japanese government is assisting with the setting up of massive carbon fiber factories, Dubya is figuring out how to spend $270 million in Iraq daily. Science and technology.....education....who gives a crap. And all this in 8 years.

/Wandering rant mode off.

What's going to happen here is that the Japanese are going to come out with more efficient engines (thereby reinforcing perceptions), everyone is going to buy those products and THEN, after all the committees at GM have voted, they'll decide to shift production from V8s to the newer more efficient engines by 2015.

FAIL.

[windvale]

Originally Posted by prototype66

Your way of thinking and people like you are part of the problem and GM not willing to change their way until they get smacked in the face is the other.

Yeah. We're referred to as "informed consumers", not shills for whatever Detroit decides we need to buy...

[logansowner]

Holy crap. Lay this on the customer.... nice.

Obviously we do not want to buy small efficient cars, look at the trouble Toyota and Hondah ave. When will we ever finally want small engines?

How do they get this far in life being so stupid? It's as if everyone at GM who is paid more than $90,000 a year was required to prove that they were in the remedial class in high school.

[kenman923]

And they could probably put the 1.4 L turbo in the G8. What do you think?

[Chaz_23]

Exactly. Weight to power ratio. Sure a 4 cylinder 260hp sounds ok by itself or attached to a Sky, not in a CTS. Plus, it's Cadillac.

Originally Posted by HotCarNut

Anemic? You think 260 bhp is anemic??? What planet are you on? Most of the V8s of yore didn't put out 260 bhp, and especially not out of 2.4L of displacement.

The key isn't the number of cylinders, it's power to weight ratio and fuel economy. A turbo 4-cylinder with the right gearing can be just as good as the 3.6L DI V6. Face the facts that next to nobody uses all 300 bhp offered in that DI engine, and the 2.4L Ecotec makes as much bhp as the base 3.6L V-6. Even if fuel economy is only marginally better (say 10%) it is still an improvement that GM can brag about - same power, better mpg.

[Sal Collaziano]

Like the original poster said, I don't see why GM needs to downsize the engines in ALL their cars. Leave big v8s for those who want them. Put smaller engines in cars that don't need bigger engines. The only trouble I see is that small cars are getting heavier...

[vanshmack]

Originally Posted by Chaz_23

Exactly. Weight to power ratio. Sure a 4 cylinder 260hp sounds ok by itself or attached to a Sky, not in a CTS. Plus, it's Cadillac.

Uhh, you are aware that the base engine in the 2008 CTS makes around 260 HP now, right? Are you also aware that in previous model years, the base motor was a 210 HP 2.8 V6?

Please ed-u-ma-cate yourself before posting here.

As for my opinion, as long as they can deliver SMOOTH performance in a Cadillac without 4-banger NVH, I say go for it!

[motorman]

Originally Posted by HoosierRon

I can't imagine. I mean, just because Chevrolet does not offer a 4 cylinder engine in the Silverado, Avalanche, Suburban, Tahoe, Trailblazer, Equinox, Express, Uplander, Impala or Corvette, and the models that do offer a 4 cylinder are generally uncompetitive (Aveo) or offer a V-6 (Malibu) I would think that you would be selling more 4 cylinders.

all this fuss about gas mileage is not what is keeping people from buying all cars not just GMs now it is the lack of financing unless you have a very good credit rating. if you are upside down in a car no one will give you a loan unless you have a very good credit rating. people who lease cars are the ones that are hurting the most as they can not afford to trade up every 3 years and that is were a lot of new cars sales used to come from. car leasing is dead as those super deals are over for good.