According to the know-it-alls at the General Motors Inside News magazine, GM has filed patents that point to a future twin-turbo V8 and possibly the first engine to combine turbocharging with fuel-saving cylinder deactivation.
Now, there's a lot of nerdery here, but this August 2015 patent application contains schematics that illustrate an engine with two turbos: one to provide low-pressure boost in low-load situations when half the cylinders are deactivated, and a larger blower to feed all cylinders for maximum performance.
Tie that in with a more recent patent for a two-stage turbo setup -- the technical term for an engine with two turbos sized for optimal performance in different situations -- and and GM's affinity for cylinder deactivation in its current eight cylinders, and it's not a stretch to see where the idea for a twin-turbo V8 comes from.
Our guess is GM plans to at least use this technology for a new sports car engine -- Camaro SS with a 4.5L, 500-hp turbo V8, anyone? -- and, if the company gets really daring, in its pickups, as a response to Ford's embracing forced induction in its F-150 truck. Whatever GM chooses to power with this new engine, we'll likely see it on the road by the 2019 model year.
