General Motors' modern Ecotec engine family first saw the light of day in 2000, when a 2.2-liter inline-four making 147 hp debuted for global use in the Opel Astra — the German brand was a GM ...

However, it was clear this flawed engine design was not going to do the heavy lifting for GM going forward. The oil crisis had sparked critical GM vehicle downsizing programs, such as the compact ...