GM Revives Tri Power Name on New Engine

General Motors Co. plans to apply its legendary Tri Power name on an engine for the first time in more than 50 years.

The term originally referred to a 360-hp V-8 equipped with three two-barrel Rochester carburetors, which GM last used in the 1966 Pontiac GTO muscle car.

This autumn the name will be used to identify a 2.7-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that makes 310 hp. In the new engine, “tri” refers to a trio of features that boost fuel efficiency: cylinder deactivation, active thermal management and variable intake valve lift.

Cylinder deactivation cuts off two of the engine’s four cylinders under light-load conditions. Thermal management helps control engine temperature to enhance fuel economy. Variable valve control improves operating efficiency by adjusting how long the intake valves remain open, thereby improving fuel economy.

GM will debut the new Tri Power engine later this year in its fullsize pickup trucks. The company announced the powerplant on Tuesday at the Center for Automotive Research’s annual Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich.