We Hear: GM Partnering with Nissan for New Fullsize Vans - TruckTrend Magazine
A source at GM, who asked to remain anonymous, told us the current van platform was getting dated and was no longer competitive against newer entrants in the segment, but that the company got feedback from current owners that they still like V-8... The GM-badged models will use GM's EcoTec 3 V-6 and V-8 engines mated to GM's new 10-speed automatic for optimal fuel economy. Finally, and most exciting to us, was that the van's expected 2017 introduction would see the production debut of the long-awaited 4. 5L Duramax diesel V-8 on 3500 models that was originally supposed to debut in the 2010 Silverado before the... GM has been doing some work on it since then, and the new numbers, according to our source, are around 350 hp and 600 lb-ft. When asked why not the 10-speed, our source replied, "The 4. 5L Duramax makes stupid torque, and in the mules we tested, we kept breaking the 10-speeds, and frankly, we didn't see that big of a difference in fuel economy. Source: www.trucktrend.com
