I published a story last week that said the V8 is no longer America’s truck engine. That’s because manufacturers like Ford have increased six-cylinder production drastically in recent years, and Toyota has even gone V6-only in the Tundra. V8-powered models only accounted for 38% of truck registrations in 2024 as a result; meanwhile, six-cylinder models made up 47.6%.
So, why the heck is General Motors investing $888 million into next-gen small-block V8 production?
The simple answer is that people still want it. We reached out to GM for comment on the company’s recent decision to pour copious amounts of money into its Tonawanda Engine Plant in New York. A spokesperson explained that it’s all to give buyers the options they prefer. “We’re making these investments to provide our customers choice when it comes to vehicles and the powertrains we offer,” the representative said.
It’s no surprise that of Detroit’s Big Three, GM is the one making this investment. Data provided by Chevrolet shows that half of all new Silverado 1500s ship out with a V8, whether it be the 5.3-liter (42%) or 6.2-liter (8%). Ford, on the other hand, told me it only puts V8s in about a quarter of its F-150s.
GM plans to double down on V8s with the sixth-gen small-block confirmed for 2027. The whole idea is to offer customers what they want. Ram failed to do so when it cancelled the Hemi in 2024, and now, it’s on a comeback-slash-apology tour as it revives the V8 for 2026 model year trucks. With this big propulsion plant investment, GM ensures customers won’t have to worry about a lack of V8 options for a while.
As I looked for insight on GM’s decision, I turned to the same shortlist of auto industry experts who helped me with my last V8 story. Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst at S&P Global Mobility, pointed out that GM uses its V8s in way more applications than just pickups.
“For GM, the V8 is important for both full-size truck and full-size SUV,” Brinley said. “As you know, the full-size SUVs offer an I6 diesel or a V8. While Ford has gone to all V6 for Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, registrations of those models reached about 88,000 units in 2024. GM’s full-size SUV registrations reached nearly 274,000 units, and about 93% of those were V8 engines. Add in the full-size trucks, and GM’s scale for the V8 option is notably different from the full-size truck-based competition.”
Ah, yes. The Chevy Tahoe is king, and after it, the GMC Yukon. Even the Cadillac Escalade sells in respectable numbers for something so pricey, and guess what engine they all rely on the most? That’s right: The small-block V8.
Additionally, demand for electrified trucks has cooled off tremendously. That’s another area where GM has invested big-time, as it currently offers battery-only versions of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra as well as the Hummer EV. Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at Telemetry Agency, notes that the soft EV truck market was likely enough to force a strong course correction.
“It didn’t come as a huge surprise given the failure of full-size electric trucks in the marketplace,” Abuelsamid noted. “Given that GM hasn’t followed Ford, Toyota, and Stellantis down the turbo-six-cylinder path for truck engines, this is their most cost-effective way forward.”
“It’s not known what they [GM] are planning for the gen-six small block, but assuming that they continue with the same pushrod OHV architecture, it has notable advantages over a turbo V6 in cost and compared to a DOHC V8 like Ford’s Coyote in cost and packaging,” said Abuelsamid.
Abuelsamid even went as far as saying it was “always inevitable” that the V8 would remain GM’s core truck engine through the 2030s.
Robby DeGraff, manager of product and consumer insights at AutoPacific, said it has to do almost entirely with customers’ demands for variety—and, like his peer mentioned, the lack of interest in electrified pickups. “GM making this massive investment in the future of ICE powertrains is a clear sign of the times, and the result of the consumer take rate for EVs just not being as strong as GM CEO Mary Barra and her team likely hoped for years ago,” he explained. “While engines with fewer cylinder count continue to become more and more advanced and capable via turbocharging and electrification, there will always be some degree of robust demand for eight cylinders amongst pickup truck buyers (even though that number is shrinking).”
“I think we’ve seen too recently how instrumental the V8 engine is among the Detroit Three’s future,” DeGraff continued. “Ford keeps dumping money into development of it, Stellantis is reviving the Hemi for Ram, and GM can’t afford to sit back and let its current crop of V8s age.”
When I made the claim before that the V8 is no longer America’s truck engine, I got plenty of emails and comments from passionate drivers who insist that it is. Now, it’s important to note, I wasn’t asserting that based on customer preference but rather on real-life market data. It’s clear that some people still want and, indeed, demand V8s in their trucks and SUVs. GM is listening to them, and it will go on providing plenty of options for those folks over the coming years.
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