GM cancels V8 program for its luxury cars

Screw pushrods! Cadillac Northstar should become GM's corporate engine. With a small amount of further development that engine can equal or exceed the fuel efficiency of many V6 engines out there. Anyway, the V configuration for a six is not as good as the horizontally opposed configuration or the in-line configuration, both of which are inherently well balanced. At least GM had the brains to develop 60-degree V6 engines recently instead of inherently-out-of-balance 90-degree V6 engines which some manufacturers still use to save tooling cost because they use the same tooling to produce both 90-degree V8 and 90-degree V6 engines.

Screw pushrods! Cadillac Northstar should become GM's corporate engine. With a small amount of further development that engine can equal or exceed the fuel efficiency of many V6 engines out there. Anyway, the V configuration for a six is not as good as the horizontally opposed configuration or the in-line configuration, both of which are inherently well balanced. At least GM had the brains to develop 60-degree V6 engines recently instead of inherently-out-of-balance 90-degree V6 engines which some manufacturers still use to save tooling cost because they use the same tooling to produce both 90-degree V8 and 90-degree V6 engines.

No V-8? and they want to be take seriously as a luxury car company? I can already here the Brits and Germans laughing at us, again.

Thats stupid... but the Northstar V8 in the SRX and STS is just fine.

The germans may be laughing but the brits hardly even have an auto industry. The Northstar is no longer competitive. If the pushrod V8 can be civilized enough it should work great.

Why? Why does this always happen? Just when things are looking up at GM, they make some dumb move that dooms them until the next "project" rolls around.

Unfortunatly it's not a dumb move. Its a necessary move.

They have a DI V6 that produces as much as their V8 while giving better gas milage. Why produce the V8. It would just end up hurting your CAFE numbers.

All this due to CAFE 35

Because the point is that they would be developing a NEW V8--not the pushrod--that gets far better mileage than the one currently in use!

I'm not being sarcastic just addressing the issue.

The Northstar V8 is a DOHC not a pushrod. The point of this is a replacment for the Northstar and the lux models not a replacment for the Corvette's V8's...though that might change as well. It dosen't make sense to produce an entirly new engine when your sales will only be about 5,000 units per year...maybe. How many old retirees in Florida do you think will need/want an engine that produces more than 306hp...which the current V6 produces.

Along with this there is the old addage..."There is no replament for displacment". Well the pushrod boys were correct on this one increasing the size of an engine can create the opportunity for more power due to simple chemisty,physics and fluid dynamics.

However there is also another effect increasing engine size has on a vehicle...WEIGHT. As the article states switching from a V6 to a V8 (given materials and design are a constant on both) can add 150 to 200lbs to the front end of the vehicle. Weight KILLS Fuel economy. And when your older (I'm talking about the STS and DTS crowd) and retired, you live off a tight budget that can't deal with the increasing gas prices of the modern day.

Fuel economy is the name of the game when you consider the size of the fleet GM has.

Wow... just when you think GM is going in the right direction. What is it about American car companies? Always finding a way to mess it up.

Correct in your anger about things getting messed up...incorrect in your target.

That would be the people who sit in big white buildings here, in downtown DC.

Remember GM WANTED to build this new V8 engine.

The fact is that the big three make a lot of gas guzzeling vehicles.With the 3.5 V6 now getting nearly the same HP as the Northstar this is probably the right move.I think you will soon see Audi,Mercedes and BMW start to move away from big V8,V12 engines in the next few yrs. With the Euro Co2 standards on the horizon for 2012/2013 and the 35mpg standards in the US the V8 may have to die at some point. Ford already decided not to put the the V8 into the MKS. The climate will be very different in the next 5 yrs with the advent of diesels coming into the US from BMW,Mercedes,Audi,VW,Honda,and GM. Ford and Chrysler will soon follow.The reality is that the V8 is a gas guzzeling dinosuar. 4 and 6 cylinder diesels are the wave of the future.

Did you know that BMW makes a diesel 5 series that gets from 0-60 in the low 6 second range!

Asses! Have they not see how the Acura RL has not even blipped on the radar partly because it does not have a V8?

the engine option isnt the only issue with the RL the RL is priced against many of its V8 competitors with performance that doesnt match the v6 cars. That and styling, packaging, and quality issues and its clear its lack of prestige or V8 have nothing to do with it.......but Cadillac is trying to compete with the best not Acura like BMW, AUDI, BENZ, and Lexus. They need a V8, without a v8 i guess no more xlr, and what about the high selling DTS what will become of it. Its like Cadillac will revert back to only fighting Lincoln who also is dropping the V8 as well as rear wheel drive in its cars. The power output of the v6 and v8 are close because the v8 hasnt been updated but the v6 has thats an excuse on gm's part. If nothing else just refine, and update the current v8 with more power and features but no V8 Cadillacs sounds rediculous if they are doing that why even have any V series cars at all they are more low volume than the v8 cars....GM is really not making sense but hey i guess they had to revert at some point

"^^V8, RWD and better styling would sell the RL."

So, basically, an entirely new car? Indeed.

Nobody is immune to the new CAFE standards, a lot of companies will be following GM's lead.

well the existing V* has done tremendously for GM. i don't see why they need to invest in a new V8. C6 vette's get descent mpg and great power...can't ask much more from a 6.0L motor (it's 6.0 i beleive)

build on what works for you, that's what's going to get them from their descent. and with the CTS and malibu, they are slowly truning around and climbing back up the ladder.

a new V8 will be needed, but they have a few years again before it's necessary.

I agree with GM. With all the new technology out there making the V6 a great engine I dont see how a V8 would be that much better. I think the main reason people even want a V8 is to just say they have it not that they need it. With all the new emissions and the wieght savings I think sticking with the V6 is the right call.

Everyone is talking like the turbo 6 is the answer to the worlds problems. Last time I compared the 997 turbo and Z06, the LS7 motor was lighter, more powerful and oh yeah, better on fuel economy than the Porsche's turbo 6. Maybe the old push rod V8 really is a better pursuit for Chevy.

NOOO

nothing beats a V8