GM buys 50 percent of VM Motori

In what is a not so surprising move General Motors have announced that they have purchased a 50 percent stake in VM Motori. VM Motori are well known for building powerful and highly efficient diesel engines.

In recent time we have seen a VM Motori diesel option introduced into the Holden Captiva line-up and heard whispers of a diesel powered Commodore becoming a possibility.

It is GM’s intention to use VM Motori’s latest tech 2.9-litre V6 diesel engine in their European Cadillac CTS due in 2009. It is expected that the diesel Caddy will then be made available to customers in the USA shortly after its European debut.

The VM Motori V6 is quite an extraordinary engine. It produces 184Kw and 550Nm which presents a serious challenge to GM’s small-block 6.0-litre petrol V8 range’ particularly with regard to torque output. If the 2.9-litre diesel becomes an option in the VE Commodore as rumoured it will potentially provide an exceptional level of performance and fuel efficiency, which up to this point have been somewhat mutually exclusive.

GM’s partial purchase of VM Motori from the Penske group (who have retained the other 50 percent) will place GM in a position where it can take full advantage of the significant worldwide growth in clean diesel power that is expected over coming years. A good move in our estimation as we expect diesel to ultimately challenge petrol as the fuel of choice for most motorists, even those with a preference for performance cars.