General Motors has already begun planning out their line of next generation full-size pickups with particular emphasis placed on fuel economy. One of the biggest challenges for automakers nowadays is making a fuel efficient truck and GM wants to jump the gun offering turbocharged engines and eight-speed automatic transmissions. This is based on the recent successes GM has had with turbocharged engines on the Chevrolet Cruze and Buick Regal.

The American automaker recently announced a $250 million upgrade to their transmission plant located in Toledo, Ohio. They want to seriously challenge Ford, who has had gained a lot of ground recently with their V8-replacing Ecoboost V6 engine. The rumored engines GM wants to run on their next generation line of full-size pickups include a small-displacement pushrod V8 and a turbocharged 3.6-liter V6. They will replace the GMT900. It will be interesting to see which direction GM decides to go in their search for fuel-efficient performance, as Ford is proudly proclaiming in all directions the advantages of their Ecoboost engine.