GM Reveals All New EcoTec Engine Lineup

GM revealed its new line of EcoTec small gas engines that includes 11 variants of three and four-cylinder engines that’ll service 27 different models. Ranging from 75 to 165 horsepower and designed to integrate alternative fuels and hybrid drivetrains, these new engines are among the most important projects in GM’s portfolio.

The first production application of the new EcoTec engines will be a 1.0 liter three-cylinder in the new Opel Adam, an engine that could also serve the next-generation Chevy Volt. GM also mentions a turbocharged 1.4 liter and a naturally-aspirated 1.5 liter tailored specifically to China. The new EcoTec engines are designed with a modular nature allows greater flexibility among the engine line, while making tooling a lot simpler as well.

Other enhancements include less noise and more fuel economy, with the new 1.4 liter turbo being 5% more efficient than the engine it replaces. That means in most cases an extra 2 MPG or so on the highway, and it’s hard to find anything to complain about that. At 148 horsepower the new 1.4 liter engine makes as much power as the outgoing motor, but is rated at a much-better 173 ft-lbs of torque…at least in China.

Ultimately GM plans to fit EcoTec engines into 27 models across 5 different brands, including the next-generation Chevy Cruze, which should also debut sometime in the next few months. I’m most excited to see the improvement in MPG and all-electric range a new engine gives the next-generation Volt.

It’s a competitive lineup of motors that helps GM keep pace with other automakers, but nothing really jumped out and grabbed me either. What’re your thoughts on GM’s new line of little engines?

Source: Gas 2.

Opel Adam May Come To America As A Buick

Tiny microcars are all the rage in Europe, with buyers flocking to models like the MINI Cooper and Volkswagen Up!, and GM wants to cut off a slice of the tiny car pie for itself. The Opel Adam is GM’s subcompact fighter, and word on the street is it could come to America as a Buick, giving the entry-level luxury brand its first competitive compact car in years.

Sure, the Chevy Spark has surprised GM by strong sales, but the subcompact econobox could never be tarted up enough to be sold as a Buick. But the higher-class Opel Adam, with its sporty design and inclusion of many high-end technologies not found in other cars in this segment, could easily be rebadged and marketed as a Buick.

For example, the Opel Adam gets a self-parking feature, heated leather steering wheel, optional front and rear LED lights, and blind-sport alert technology. The Adam can also be had with up to 18-inch wheels (which would look downright silly on a Chevy Spark) and a cutting-edge 1.0 liter, three-cylinder turbo engine is making its debut in the Opel city car. The Opel Adam is also available as bi-fuel model running on propane, though a planned pure electric version was cancelled due to costs.

GM has sought to align Buick and Opel more closely in recent years, the result has driven Buick sales higher and the average buyer age lower. A classy and sporty Buick compact could lure in even younger buyers, though it probably won’t happen until the next-gen Adam hits markets, if at all.

Source: The Truth About Cars

Introducing the Opel (Buick?) Adam Minicar

Buick and Opel have long been linked, starting 45 years ago when Buick dealers sold Opels imported from GM's German brand.There will be no more Opel-brand cars sold in the States, but a number of current and future Buicks were developed by Opel and are sold in Europe as Opel models. So we got to wondering, could the upcoming 2013 Opel Adam minicar presage a future model that would be the smallest-ever Buick sold in the States?


Right now, the smallest Buick is the compact Verano sedan. buick's next largest car, the Regal mid-size sedan, was first launched in Europe in 2007 as the Opel Insignia. The brand-new 2013 Buick Encore compact crossover is sold as the Opel Mokka. And Opel's compact Astra was briefly sold in the States as a Saturn in 2008 and 2009. In Europe, below the Astra sits the subcompact Opel Corsa--and now Opel has released some photos of an even smaller car, to be sold as the Opel Adam. The Adam three-door hatchback--it's named after Adam Opel, the founder of the Opel brand a century ago--will be unveiled to the public and available for order at September's Paris Motor Show. It will arrive in European showrooms next January.

The styling borrows a contrasting roof color from the Audi A1, and--as the satiric car site SniffPetrol noted--seemingly a number of other elements from several existing European small cars. The Adam will be offered with three different engines: a 64-hp 1.2-liter four, and a 1.4-liter four with two different outputs of 87 hp or 100 hp. No word yet on fuel efficiency, but we'd expect it to be at least in the mid-30s on the U.S. test cycle. A five-speed manual gearbox is the only transmission announced so far, but Opel says a "new generation small gasoline engine" with direct injection and turbocharging will debut, paired with a six-speed manual. The Adam includes both smartphone integration and a number of features not previously found on minicars, including automatic parking assist and a blind-spot warning system.

2013 Opel Adam

Like many minicars, customization is the name of the game with the Opel Adam. Three packages--yes, they're really named Jam, Glam, and Slam, ahem--and innumerable options both on the order form and for dealer installation will let buyers to order their own personalized and unique Adam.

So this all got us wondering: If the MINI Cooper and more recently the Fiat 500 have brought style and panache to the minicar segment, could there be an opportunity for Buick to enter a new niche with a car unlike anything else sold in the States?

Chevy has its upcoming 2013 Spark minicar, true, but that's being pitched as entry-level wheels for young first-time drivers.


Source: Green Car Reports