For Release: Oct. 28, 2003

ECOTEC: THE NEW FORCE IN FOUR-CYLINDER PERFORMANCE

LAS VEGAS - The GM small-block V-8 is a tough act to follow. This remarkable motor became the foundation of the speed equipment industry and the mainstay of American motorsports, winning more races and championships than any other production automotive engine. But now a new GM engine is creating the same buzz that accompanied the small-block’s debut nearly 50 years ago: the inline four-cylinder, 16-valve DOHC Ecotec is poised to become the next big thing from GM in high-volume production cars, high-performance specialty vehicles and high-horsepower competition applications.

The four-cylinder Ecotec has many of the virtues that previously propelled the small-block V-8 to greatness: simplicity, versatility, reliability, innovative design, smoothness and boundless potential. The Ecotec engine family - GM’s first global engine design - is a class leader in power, torque and refinement. With lightweight aluminum construction, four-valve cylinder heads and dual overhead camshafts, Ecotec has the right stuff to engage a new generation of performance enthusiasts. As Ecotec production accelerates, the supply of these sophisticated yet affordable GM four-cylinder engines is growing rapidly.

Now GM is expanding Ecotec’s performance envelope and showcasing its potential. GM has introduced two high-output production Ecotec engines: a supercharged 205-horsepower Ecotec in the Saturn ION Red Line and a turbocharged 210-horsepower version that powers the Saab 9-3. GM Performance Parts will offer a supercharged Ecotec crate engine in 2004 to meet the needs of sport compact enthusiasts and street rodders. GM Racing has established Ecotec’s performance credentials on the track by setting speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats with a race-prepared 700-horsepower turbocharged engine and winning championships in NHRA front-wheel-drive drag racing classes with turbocharged Ecotec engines that produce more than 1,000 horsepower. The competition-proven Ecotec components developed by GM Racing are available through GM dealers and aftermarket suppliers. In short, the pieces are now in place for Ecotec to star in the sequel to the small-block V-8’s remarkable success story.

The GM small-block V-8 has prospered for nearly five decades, with total production of the Gen I, Gen II and Gen III versions now approaching 90 million. The reasons behind this amazing longevity can be found in a 1955 SAE paper written by GM design engineer R. F. Sanders. Titled "The New Chevrolet V-8 Engine," this document identified key characteristics of the small-block design - traits that Ecotec shares with its famous forerunner.

Versatility: The designers of the original small-block V-8 adroitly anticipated future developments. The Gen I small-block was produced in 10 different displacements, powering family sedans, trucks and sports cars. Today’s Gen III small-block V-8 has similar flexibility in design, with four displacements and applications ranging from SUVs to Corvettes. Ecotec offers versatility in a four-cylinder architecture: Ecotec engines now power 16 GM vehicles, including Saturn, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Saab, Opel, and Vauxhall models. Ecotec is produced in 2.0-liter, 2.2-liter and 2.4-liter versions, with naturally aspirated, supercharged and turbocharged induction systems and power ratings from 140 to 210 horsepower. Although each engine has distinct differences and personality, all share the Ecotec family’s basic architecture.

Simplicity: The original small-block V-8 had the sterling virtue of simplicity, requiring only 12 casting cores while rival manufacturers used as many as 22 cores to produce overhead-valve V-8s. Ecotec blocks are cast using a unique "lost foam" method that allows thinner cross-sections and contributes to the engine’s light weight.

Light Weight: The first small-block V-8 weighed 531 pounds - 41 pounds less than the inline six-cylinder engine it supplanted. The all-aluminum Ecotec is true to this heritage, weighing in at 275 pounds (125 kg) in a typical configuration.

Smoothness: With a 90-degree Vee angle and a counterweighted crankshaft, the small-block V-8 was an exceptionally smooth-running engine. The Ecotec employs dual counter-rotating balance shafts to cancel the secondary vertical shaking forces that are characteristic of inline four-cylinder engines. Spinning at twice the speed of the crankshaft, these balance shafts reduce vibration throughout the rpm range.

Airflow: The small-block V-8's interchangeable cylinder heads featured an efficient cross-flow port design that is still winning races today. The Ecotec cylinder head takes breathing to the next level with dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder.

Robust Design: Chevy engineers used premium materials such as forged steel crankshafts and connecting rods to bolster the durability of the original small-block V-8. The supercharged Ecotec also has a forged steel crankshaft with induction-hardened fillets and forged steel connecting rods. All Ecotec blocks share a rigid structure that emulates a classic racing engine, with a one-piece bottom end casting that incorporates five main bearing caps and mounts a cast-aluminum oil pan.

Efficiency: The small-block's creators designed a high-turbulence combustion chamber that produced a smooth rise in cylinder pressure and minimized the engine's octane requirement. Ecotec’s spark plugs are centrally located in pent-roof combustion chambers to provide fast, efficient combustion with the shortest possible flame travel.

High-Speed Valvetrain: The key to the small-block V-8's high-speed performance was an innovative valvetrain with stamped steel rocker arms. Ecotec’s two overhead camshafts actuate the inlet and exhaust valves via roller finger follower rocker arms - another design feature found in many high-rpm racing engines.

Performance Potential: The first small-block V-8 produced 162 horsepower; today the LS6 small-block V-8 produces 405 horsepower, the highest output of any GM Gen III small-block. Following this tradition, GM Powertrain is developing high-output versions of the Ecotec. The supercharged and intercooled 2.0-liter LSJ Ecotec that powers the Saturn ION Red Line produces 205 horsepower at 5600 rpm.

"Ecotec is one of the highest-volume four-cylinder engine programs in the world," said Jay Subhedar, Ecotec global four-cylinder engine assistant chief engineer. "Its efficiency and reliability are well-established - now we are adding a new variant to prove the Ecotec architecture’s performance potential."

Lessons learned in the NHRA Summit Sport Compact drag racing series were applied to the ION Red Line’s supercharged Ecotec to improve durability. Upgraded components include sodium-filled exhaust valves, a forged-steel crankshaft, forged connecting rods, heavy-duty pistons, a block-mounted oil cooler, and a high-capacity seven-quart sump.

While the small-block V-8 was a gem, it took the efforts of many individuals to polish its performance reputation. Zora Arkus-Duntov and his Corvette colleagues stoked the fires of performance with heavy-duty components - parts that soon found their way to drag strips, dry lakes and oval tracks. Armed with a ready supply of affordable parts, hot rodders and racers made the small-block V-8 the dominant engine in motorsports.

GM Racing is continuing Duntov’s mission, filling the parts pipeline with factory-engineered components. GM Performance Parts will release an over-the-counter Ecotec crate engine in mid 2004 based on the supercharged ION Red Line engine. This addition to GM’s crate motor portfolio will make it easy to install an Ecotec in a sport compact coupe or a high-tech street rod.

In all-out racing trim, the Ecotec delivers prodigious horsepower. The turbocharged Ecotec engine that propelled a modified Saturn ION Red Line to a 212.684-mph speed record at Bonneville produced 700 horsepower under sustained full-throttle operation on the demanding run across the expansive Salt Flats. GM Racing’s front-wheel-drive Cavalier and Sunfire entries in the NHRA Summit Sport Compact Drag Racing Series sprint the quarter-mile in 8 seconds with their 1000-plus-horsepower race-prepared turbocharged Ecotec engines.

Heavy-duty Ecotec components developed by GM Racing are now available to enthusiasts through GM Performance Parts. These include complete race-prepared blocks, ported cylinder heads, steel billet crankshafts, copper head gaskets, aluminum intake manifolds, and acing camshafts.

GM Racing also has published the Ecotec Engine Handbook (PN 88958646) with detailed information on preparing and assembling Ecotec engines for competition. Like a cookbook for racing, performance enthusiasts can modify their Ecotec engines by following GM Racing’s proven recipe. This publication has helped raise awareness of the Ecotec engine among young enthusiasts.

The small-block V-8's impact on automotive culture is incalculable. The small-block continues to prosper in the 21st century in its Gen III incarnation, and its future is assured in GM vehicles ranging from trucks and SUVs to championship-winning Corvettes. Just as the legendary Chevrolet small-block V-8 became the cornerstone of the hot rod and speed equipment industry, the Ecotec promises to become the small-block of four-cylinder engines.