One of the worst-kept secrets within the Stellantis North American organization has to be the upcoming twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter GME-T6 inline-six-cylinder engine. Known internally as the “GME-T6” will make its world debut this month at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). The new GME-T6 is part of the Stellantis Global Medium Engine (GME) family and has been under development for a number of years, as the next-generation do-it-all engine architecture for a number of Chrysler Group products in the North American market.
It marks the first inline-six-cylinder to find itself under the hood of a Chrysler Group product since the discontinuation of the legendary 4.0-liter inline-six-cylinder in 2006.
As we said in an article earlier this month, our sources within the Stellantis organization have confirmed that there will be three variants of the GME-T6 to come to market. The first variant we will see make it into production will be the high-output (H.O.) version. The new GME-T6 H.O. will make its debut next month, at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) under the hood of the Jeep® Grand Wagoneer (WS).
Our keen-eyed followers pointed out that Wagoneer.com’s Build & Price configurator was updated to show a picture of the new GME-T6 H.O. under the engine options list on the four Grand Wagoneer models (Series I, II, Obsidian, and III) overnight. Listed as an “Engine Upgrade”, the Build & Price configurator lists the new engine as a $2,000 USD option. The photo of the engine, confirms that the GME-T6 H.O. does indeed have a twin-turbocharged configuration. It is speculated that it will be paired with a ZF-sourced 8HP75 8-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission in its H.O. form.
Our spy photographers have caught several of the new H.O. models testing on public roads around the Metro Detroit area. While the photos don’t show much of a physical difference between the 6.4-liter HEMI V8-powered models, we do see that the GME-T6 H.O.-powered models will feature dual-exhaust and will require Premium Unleaded fuel (according to the decals above the fuel door). With gas prices on the rise, hopefully, the new GME-T6 H.O. can achieve a good enough fuel economy rating to justify the requirement of premium fuel.
The GME-T6 H.O. will be followed up with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and standard-output (S.O.) variants in 2024. We believe that the S.O. variant will eventually work its way into the standard Wagoneer model, as either a replacement or optional alternative to the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 eTorque offering now.
While we don’t have horsepower or torque numbers yet, we believe that the GME-T6 H.O. should have horsepower somewhere in the 400 to 425 horsepower range. The upcoming GME-T6 PHEV would have output near 525 horsepower thanks to its electric motor assist.
Production of the new engine is underway at the Saltillo Engine Plant in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico. We expect that the new engine will be eventually rolled out to other North American products like the next-generation Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and even the Ram 1500.
For those who are current Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer owners or who are looking at purchasing one, be sure to visit our dedicated owner’s website, WagoneerForums.org. There you can talk about the latest news, information, and rumors, as well as, connect to other owners and even Wagoneer Client Services.
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