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I looked around a bit - and I don't know where I read the specific article that stated the anticipated end of production for the Isuzu Duramax in approx. four years. I just found a few related articles mentioning the new diesel that GM will be making - but nothing specific as it relates to heavy pickups and the Duramax. When I read it - I had no reason for saving it - but I now wish I did. Also - I guess you cannot assume something is true just because a corporation issues a press release. AS I recall - didn't GM announce the end of production for the Corvette a few years back? And, after many investors rushed to buy the last ones coming off the production line - GM said - oh gee - we changed our minds. Here a few news articles: MILFORD, Mich. (AP) -- General Motors Corp. (GM) said Thursday that after 2009
it will introduce a new V-8 turbo-diesel that improves engine-fuel efficiency by 25% for
North American light-duty trucks. The premium V-8 diesel is expected to maintain improved fuel efficiency compared with
gasoline engines that produce similar power. The new engine will take up the same space as a
small-block V-8 gasoline engine. Tom Stephens, GM's group vice president for powertrain, predicted more use of diesel engines
in smaller vehicles as the company works to make its cars and trucks more fuel efficient. He
said the trick with diesels is getting them to meet emissions standards while at the same time
producing them at a cost people will pay. He would not predict what percentage of vehicles would be powered by diesels in the future as
opposed to hybrids and conventional internal-combustion engines. "It's really dictated by the customer," he said as the company showed off its engine and
transmission technology at its proving grounds northwest of Detroit. Company officials would not reveal the size of the new diesel, saying only that it would be larger
than 3.3 liters and smaller than the 6.6-liter diesel GM uses in heavier trucks. GM also announced that the 6.6-liter engine now meets new federal emissions standards set to
go into effect Jan. 1 and even more stringent requirements coming in 2010. The same
pollution-control technology, which involves a catalyst that oxygenates emissions and a filter that
burns up particulates, will be used on the smaller diesel, the company said. "The tailpipes, you can put your finger in them and you won't come out with carbon particles on
your fingers. They're that clean," said Gary Arvan, GM's chief engineer on the 6.6-liter
emissions-reduction project. The world's No. 1 auto maker said the engine will produce 13% less carbon dioxide than
traditional gasoline engines. Detroit-based GM said it currently sells more than one million diesel
engines a year. General Motors Corp. today unveiled a sophisticated new V8 diesel engine that reduces fuel
consumption 25%, produces up to 360 horsepower and meets all upcoming emissions
regulations. The engine goes into production on a light-duty pickup truck sometime after 2009, when the
United States will institute what are expected to be the most stringent diesel emissions of any
country. The new turbodiesel was developed to fit several different vehicle families, said Charles Freese
V, GM executive director of diesel engineering. It fits into an engine compartment the same size
as GM s current small-block V8, which is used in vehicles ranging from the Chevrolet Corvette
sports car to the huge Cadillac Escalade ESV luxury SUV.
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