GM expands V-6 output in Mexico
Automotive News | June 7, 2008 - 9:36 am EST
MEXICO CITY — General Motors plans to expand its six-cylinder engine plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, by more than a third.
The extension of the engine manufacturing operation adds 350,000 V-6s to the plant’s installed capacity, GM said in a statement. That raises capacity from 590,000 to 940,000 units per year.
GM said the new generation HFV6 engine that Ramos Arizpe will build is 6 percent more powerful than the previous version of that powerplant.
The announcement came during the official opening of a six-speed transmission plant at GM’s Ramos Arizpe complex in northern Mexico on June 5.
GM said the new plant will produce six-speed front-wheel-drive transmissions for crossover vehicles such as the Saturn Vue and Chevrolet Equinox, and mid-range cars such as the Chevrolet Malibu.
In a speech, Kevin Williams, president of GM Mexico, described the new transmission plant as “one of the most advanced in the world.”
The transmissions manufactured in Ramos Arizpe reduce fuel consumption by up to 7 percent compared to earlier gearboxes, he said, thus “increasing power and the performance of our units.”
