GM Gen 6 Small Block Engine Family

The GM Gen 6 Small Block is an upcoming family of gasoline eight cylinder engines produced by General Motors Company for use in pickup trucks, SUVs and possibly vans. It’s sometimes written using Roman Numerals, like Gen VI Small Block), and replaces the GM Gen 5 Small Block family.

Announcement & Launch

Though not yet confirmed or announced by General Motors, sources familiar with the matter tell GM Authority that the GM Gen 6 Small Block engines will debut in conjunction with the 2027 Chevy Silverado 1500 and 2027 GMC Sierra 1500, which will be the first year of GM’s next-gen full-size pickup trucks.

GM Gen 6 Engines

Though GM Gen Six Small Block engines have not yet been announced, we expect the family to be comprised of at least the following powerplants:

• Two V8 engines for light duty full-size pickup trucks and SUVs
  • At least one of these will be offered with a plug-in hybrid setup
• One engine for Corvette Stingray
• High-displacement V8 engine for HD pickups

Details

Though details are scarce, we expect the GM Gen Six Small Block engines to share the following basic characteristics:

• Overhead Valve (push rod) configuration with a 90 degree V angle between cylinder banks
• Improvements in refinement, efficiency, power and torque compared to Gen 5 Small Blocks

During an GM Investor Day presentation in 2024, GM President Mark Reuss briefly discussed the automaker’s upcoming next-gen pickups, specifically the internal combustion V8 engine expected under the hood.

“As we refresh these trucks, we continue to make strong improvements in ICE efficiency and performance,” Reuss said. “Our next generation of full-size trucks coming soon will see a four to six [percent] efficiency improvement at launch over the mid-cycle enhancement of 2022, and this is 10 to 12 percent better efficiency-wise over the previous generation which debuted in 2019, so these are big efficiency improvements.” Alas, Reuss did not specify which V8 engine he was referring to.

For reference, the 2024 Chevy Silverado 1500 4WD returns 15 mpg city, 19 mpg highway, and 17 mpg combined when equipped with the naturally aspirated 5.3L V8 L84 gasoline engine; 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway, and 17 mpg combined when equipped with the naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 L87 gasoline engine; 18 mpg city, 21 mpg highway, and 19 mpg combined when equipped with the turbocharged 2.7L I4 L3B gasoline engine; and 23 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined when equipped with the 3.0L I6 LZ0 turbodiesel Duramax engine.

Vehicle Applications

Following are anticipated vehicle applications of the GM Gen 6 Small Block engines.

Gen 6 Small Block News

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All Gen 6 Small Block News