GM Invests $890 Million for Next-Gen Small-Block V-8

General Motors Co. confirms another round of manufacturing investments, this time aimed at updating small-block V-8s used mostly in the auto maker's pickups and SUVs.

GM will invest more than $890 million between powertrain facilities at Tonawanda, NY; St. Catherines, ON, Canada; Defiance, OH; Bedford, IN; and Bay City, MI. The outlay will create or retain some 1,600 jobs.

Tonawanda receives half the investment, with $400 million going into the 72-year-old engine plant. The commitment will result in more than 700 jobs.

In February, Tonawanda received a commitment of $425 million to build the next-generation Ecotec 4-cyl. engine.

GM terminated production at Tonawanda of a big-block V-8 last year, indefinitely laying off some 150 people, and a V-6 that comprised a majority of its output.

The plant employs some 650 people, with a reported 375 on indefinite layoff. During the late-1980s and early 1990s, 4,000 people worked there.

The St. Catherines plant gets $235 million resulting in about 400 jobs.

GM says the new engines will feature direct-injection technology, an all-new combustion-system design and exclusive use of lighter-weight aluminum blocks.

GM does not provide a timetable for the investment, but Ward's data shows the auto maker is scheduled to launch its next-generation of fullsize trucks in 2013 for the '14 model year.