New engine another positive sign for Tonawanda Engine Plant

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Photo credit Corvette Stingray at Tonawanda Engine Plant. July 23, 2019 (WBEN Photo/Mike Baggerman)

TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WBEN) – General Motors officials are confident that the Tonawanda Engine Plant remains a vital part of their work moving forward.

Last year, GM announced that it would close three assembly plants by the end of this year and lay off more than 5,000 workers. The plants that were scheduled to close are in Ohio, Michigan, Ontario, and Maryland.

The Tonawanda Engine Plant was not affected by the closures.

“Those plants were high-volume, small cars,” General Motors President Mark Reuss said Tuesday after his announcement that the Tonawanda Engine Plant would create the new engines for the 2020 Corvette Stingray. “The market has just gone away. Our investments here cover just about every market we participate in and every powertrain. That’s great. The diversity here in New York between Lockport, Rochester, and Tonawanda, is where it’s all happening. I don’t see anything other than positive, profitable vehicles that these engines go into.”

The latest engine for the new Corvette allows the car to go from 0-to-60 miles per hour in less than three seconds. GM officials did not unveil the top speed of the new car.

Plant Manager Ram Ramanujam said the announcement means a retaining of jobs.

“It builds off the LT1 engine that’s in the current Corvette with a lot of enhancement and refinement for the mid-engine performance that this car is capable of,” he said. “The lubrication system is completely redesigned for incredible track performance. The engine has 30 more horsepower than the engine it replaces. 495 Horsepower and 470 foot pounds of torque.”

The Tonawanda Engine Plant in 2016 received $295.9 million for future engine production. GM has invested nearly $3 billion into the plant over the last decade, according to its website.