Chevy Fans Can Get The Duramax 3.0 Engine Again

Parts shortages are hitting virtually all automakers, forcing them to be unable to produce some vehicles or to produce some vehicles missing critical components. One of the products that Chevrolet was forced to stop offering during the shortage was its 3.0-liter in-line-six turbodiesel Duramax engine. That engine is found under the hood of both its Silverado 1500 and the GMC Sierra 1500 trucks.

GM was forced to stop producing the engine in late August due to a supplier issue. There was some indication that production for the turbodiesel might not happen for all of the 2021 calendar year. However, after a production stoppage of only two weeks, the turbodiesel engine has reentered production at GM's Flint Engine Plant in Michigan.

Full-size truck buyers can again order the 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine, as can anyone looking for a full-size SUV from GM running a diesel engine for better fuel economy. GM offers the turbodiesel engine under the hood of the Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade. The engine is rated for 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. That's certainly not a lot of horsepower, as is typical for diesel engines. It is down significantly on horsepower compared to the available gasoline engines in the same vehicle but offers lots of torque.

Torque is fantastic in trucks and SUVs if you plan to tow with them or if you just want the fuel economy that diesel engines typically bring. For example, a 2022 Silverado optioned with the diesel and a 10-speed automatic can achieve 23 MPG in the city, 31 MPG on the highway and 26 MPG combined. That's fuel economy in a full-size truck is good as some small crossovers.

Earlier this month, we talked about a new project that Chevy and Hot Rod magazine are working on. That project takes a very long-running Hot Rod magazine project car known as Project X and turns it into an electric vehicle. Chevrolet's participation in the project was to provide an electric motor that the automaker is thinking about selling as a performance part producing 340 horsepower and 330 pound-foot torque. That's certainly not the same sort of power Project X currently has with a supercharged LSX V-8 under the hood.

One of the biggest announcements by Chevrolet in all of 2021 was revealing the 2023 Corvette Z06 in late October. The Z06 uses a 5.5-liter V-8 engine making 670 horsepower. Chevy's new Z06 is a racing car that's made for the street. Chevy has also been struggling with massive recalls for its Bolt electric vehicles. About a month ago, Chevy began replacing the batteries in the recalled EVs.

The massive battery recall covered every Bolt vehicle Chevy has built and will see each of them get new battery packs. The battery packs are being replaced after at least a dozen fires resulting from defects in the batteries during manufacturing. The battery manufacturer, LG, is covering the bulk of the recall costs. While GM was working on the battery recall, production of the Bolt electric vehicles was stopped, and none of the vehicles could be sold. Owners of impacted vehicles will have to leave their Bolt at the dealership for about two days. All new battery packs are covered by an eight-year or 100,000-mile warranty.