GM Launches Global Small-Engine Overhaul

General Motors Co. is replacing its current lineup of Ecotec small engines with a next-generation family of 3- and 4-cylinder engines that eventually will power about 25% of the company's global fleet.

The first of the 11 new twin-overhead-cam Ecotec engines, a 1.0-liter three-banger, debuts this summer in the Opel Adam city car. It will be followed later this year by 1.4-liter turbocharged and 1.5-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engines for the China-specific Chevrolet Cruze sedan.

The 3-cylinder engine will equal the power output of the 1.6-liter naturally aspirated four-banger it replaces, but with 20% greater fuel efficiency, according to the company.

GM will produce the new engines at five factories each equipped to build all 11 variants in Flint, Mich.; Toluca, Mexico; Szentogotthard, Hungary; Shenyang, China; and Changwon, South Korea. GM predicts combined output of more than 2.5 million units annually.

The modular powerplants will share a common bore and bore spacing, with displacement determined by the stroke. Engine will range from 75 hp to 165 hp in power and 70 lb-ft to 184 lb-ft of torque. Variations will include naturally aspirated and turbocharged models with port or direct injection. All gasoline engines have been engineered to burn regular-grade fuel.

GM factories in some markets also will build diesels that share their architecture with the gasoline engines. GM says the portfolio will include multi-fuel and hybrid derivatives. All engines are designed to accept a 12-volt automatic stop-start system, a feature expected to be used on most European models.

Direct-injection engines will feature a central injector, which is isolated from the cylinder head and common rail to minimize injection clatter. The new 3-cylinder engines, which will include a balance shaft, are 44 lbs lighter than the current 1.4-liter Ecotec engine.

A water-cooled manifold reduces noise, making some engines 50% quieter than competing mills, according to the company. Several iterations will be equipped with a compact catalytic converter with close-coupled unit and secondary canister that replaces the converter normally located under the floor pan.