Fritz: V8 Corvettes will live on, Buick LaCrosse to get 4-cylinder turbo, No Chevy or Caddy G8

Even though the ‘New GM’ will be forced to focus on producing fuel-efficient vehicles, it won’t abandon efforts to give its Corvette enthusiasts the much loved rear-wheel-drive, V8 power they have come to love.

“My wonderful baby is my 2005 Corvette coupe,” CEO Fritz Henderson said in his first online chat after filing GM’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. “We have more in store for the future and this iconic brand will retain its powerful place within the new GM.”

Nonetheless, GM’s plans to offer fuel-efficient vehicles puts some hope back into the future of American cars competing with Toyotas and Hondas. Henderson confirmed that a 4-cylinder turbo for the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse will be offered shortly after the start of production.

The 2010 Buick LaCrosse (which is the third most anticipated future GM vehicle according to you guys), will go on sale later this summer with a 255-hp 3.0L V6 and an optional 280-hp 3.6L V6. Henderson said that GM has plans to introduce a “performance 4-cylinder Ecotec” shortly after the 2010 LaCrosse enters production.

The Buick Invicta concept, which is the basis for the new LaCrosse, was powered by Buick”s first direct-injection turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that makes 250-hp and 220 lb-ft of torque. It is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.

That 4-cylinder turbo is expected to compete with Ford’s line of EcoBoost V6 engines, which are offered as V8 alternatives. GM’s 1.4L turbo 4-cylinder salted for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is expected to be pillar of GM’s fuel-economy plans.

As for the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP (which I’m driving this week), Henderson simply said that the model will not live on as a Chevrolet or as an entry-level Cadillac. There is no room for the car in the Buick lineup as well.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Motor Trend