General Motors, at least on paper, is more committed to developing and promoting new EVs than many automakers. At the same time, the legendary American company has its heritage to consider. In a recent press release, General Motors highlighted its accomplishments but said it’s lining up resources to develop its sixth-generation small block gas V8.

GM committed $64 million to its Rochester, NY, and Defiance, OH, defense production facilities but took time to acknowledge the venerable V8. As part of an overall $918 million investment, the Detroit auto giant will invest north of $850 million to prepare for the production of a next-generation V8 engine.

As GM points out, this new investment brings its total commitments to more than $37 billion since 2013, but a significant portion of that investment was directed to its Ultium electric technologies. 

The automaker’s V8 investment focuses on its Flint, MI, production facility. The company expects its Flint location to continue building the 3.0-liter diesel engine alongside the new V8, but developing and producing the gas engine will take effort. That includes a $216 million investment in GM’s Bay City, MI location and tens of millions more in its operations in Ohio. Rochester, NY, will get $12 million just to build fuel rails for the new V8, with an additional $56 million for EV battery development.

You might be wondering why we’re here talking about new gas engines – eight-cylinder gas engines, no less – when the rest of the world is moving toward electrification. The answer isn’t that General Motors has no faith in EVs. The automaker is so deeply invested in electrification at this point that there’s no turning back. The answer is that General Motors is invested in its customers. Many people, even those committed to curbing climate change, cannot fully commit to electrification. Even more are hesitant to give up on gas, especially in the face of changing regulations. For them, General Motors has a V8.