Despite Hybrid Hype, GM & Chrysler Highlight 4.6 & 6.1L V8 Engines

[hatrack]

EDIT

"Right now the drive for more and more power in cars is way larger than the drive for more and more hybrids," said GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, the top carmaker's long-time design guru. To emphasize the point, GM on Monday will unveil at the Detroit auto show its fastest car ever -- the new Corvette Z06 -- as well as the Cadillac STS-V, powered by a supercharged V-8 engine that delivers the most horsepower of any Cadillac. The world's largest automaker this year will also offer V-8 versions of its Chevrolet Impala sedan and Chevrolet Monte Carlo coupe, introduced at the Los Angeles auto show last week, and the Grand Prix sedan. GM also plans to add a V-8 to a large Buick sedan later this year, analysts said.

Hybrid sales in the United States are growing quickly. But with gasoline prices receding from record highs, roomy cars with big engines remain popular. On Sunday, a group of automotive critics named the Chrysler 300 the North American car of the year, a year after the Toyota Prius -- a gas-electric hybrid that gets up to 55 miles per gallon -- took the honors.

This spring, Chrysler plans an even more powerful version of the car -- the 300C SRT8, beefed-up with a 6.1-liter, 425-horsepower V-8 engine. "The hybrids have been getting a lot of publicity, but the fact is people still like power," Michael Omotoso, senior market analyst with Global Insight, said. "There's a market for both ends of the scale. Some people like the fuel economy, some people want the power of a V-8."

Even with the new cars coming to market, GM will have a difficult time holding its US market share this year due to its aging lineup of pickup trucks and SUVs, analysts said."

EDIT

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/28912/story.htm

[phantom power]

1. At least Ford is behaving like they have to adapt.

GM is still pretending like hybrids are some kind of fad.

[Squatch]

3. From a business standpoint, they're going to build what sells

and in this country, horsepower sells.

[Coastie for Truth]

6. GM's not so dumb

Based on settlements of some 1990's era law suits- GM has rights to copy Toyota hybrid technology - with the rights increasing as certain trigger points (Toyota hybrid sales in the US, Toyota hybrid production in the US, etc.) are met.

[NickB79]

2. What happened to their variable-cylinder-use idea?

Just two months ago I read in Popular Mechanics how major US automakers were going to start installing this in most cars within the next few years. Basically, it stated that it allowed the vehicle to use only as many cylinders as needed to provide power. If you are at cruising speed on the highway, you don't need 200 hp to maintain forward momentum, so only a couple of cylinders are used to supply power. The article stated that using this would greatly increase fuel efficiency without the need for hybrid vehicles or major redesigns by manufacturers. What happened?

[sellitman]

4. The 300M uses this technology I believe

It takes a car that would normally get awful mileage and makes it barely passable.

[midnight armadillo]

5. It's out there now

GM calls it Displacement on Demand. Not to be confused with the old Cadillac V-8-6-4 engines of the early eighties :-)

I understand the new Corvette doesn't make use of this due to a chassis resonance when running on 4 cyl. I think the mileage gains on the highway are around 5-10%, but I could be off on that number.

Of course, there are other ways to get more power, such as turbocharging, that'll give similar power and better mileage still. It's very hard to build a very low emissions turbocharged engine though.