What's in a name? To General Motors, a lot. So much so that
GM will no longer deal in powertrains. Instead...wait for it...Global Propulsion Systems. Whoa. Here at the
Dashboard we all just got very Buck Rodgers-y.
But, really, this is not much of a surprise. Powertrains have
always been engines and transmissions. In the next few years, the
percentage of GM vehicles (or any vehicles) powered by powertrains
will shrink. As GM notes, in quoting itself in the form of Mark
Reuss, executive vice president, Global Product Development,
"Global Propulsion Systems better conveys what we are
developing and offering to our customers: an incredibly broad,
diverse lineup – ranging from high-tech 3-cylinder gasoline
engines to fuel cells, V8 diesel engines to battery electric
systems, and 6-, 7-, 8-, 9- and 10-speed to continuously variable
transmissions." With 50% of its Global Propulsion Systems
engineering workforce geared toward non-powertrain propulsion, this
move makes sense.
