Reports about a new six-cylinder "Tornado" engine from FCA Stellantis have been swirling around the Internet for many years. By the looks of it, an official reveal could finally be happening in the near future. Following a patent filing for a turbocharged inline-six discovered back in November 2019, the official website of the world's fourth-largest automaker briefly listed a new "3.0-liter GMET6 HO" engine.
An eagle-eyed member of the Allpar forums stumbled upon the juicy piece of information while browsing the section of the website dedicated to the Saltillo Engine Plant. Apparently, the new Global Medium Engine Turbo Six has been in production at the Mexican factory in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila since November 22. The use of the "HO" letters suggests Stellantis has kicked off the assembly of a high-output configuration.
I6 Confirmed, Sort Of:
While this sounds quite promising, it should be noted the "3.0-liter GMET6 HO" has already been removed from that page. We will get in touch with Stellantis to find out what's what, and in the meantime, the engine in question supposedly boasts a twin-turbo setup and is derived from the existing four-cylinder, 2.0-liter unit.
From what we've heard, there are plans to put the inline-six in a variety of North American products, specifically the Jeep Wrangler, Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, and Wagoneer / Grand Wagoneer, as well as the Ram 1500. Confirmed details regarding how much power it produces are not available at this point, but an old rumor suggests the HO variant could produce in excess of 500 hp. The base version is said to deliver approximately 360 hp, but take these numbers with the proverbial pinch of salt.
The Inline-Six Is Still Going Strong:
A potential launch of the Tornado engine could represent the beginning of the end for the V8, especially since the inline-six has allegedly been developed with electrification in mind. A long-rumored plug-in hybrid configuration would allow Stellantis to offer decent power in its largest vehicles while meeting increasingly stringent fuel economy regulations.
Source: Allpar