GM unveils a new Ecotec engine family, will be used in the 2015 Cruze

Chevrolet Cruze will be unveiled later this year

General Motors has unveiled their new generation of Ecotec small displacement engines.

Built on a modular architecture, the engines promise to deliver "leading-edge efficiency, refinement and durability." They will also be highly adaptable and less complex to produce.

11 engines will be part of the new Ecotec family and they will be three- and four-cylinder units with displacements ranging from 1.0- to 1.5-liters. Detailed specifications were not released but GM confirmed the engines will have outputs ranging from 75 bhp (56 kW) to 165 bhp (123 kW). Some of the engines will be equipped with turbochargers, while others will support hybrid and alternative fuel applications.

The turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine recently debuted in the Opel Adam, while the next-generation Chevrolet Cruze will be offered with four-cylinder units. The turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder will produce approximately 148 bhp (110 kW) and 173 lb-ft (235 Nm) of torque, while the naturally-aspirated 1.5-liter four-cylinder should develop 113 bhp (84 kW) and 108 lb-ft (146 Nm) of torque. GM went on to say the next-generation Chevrolet Cruze will be "specifically tailored for China" and launched later this year as a 2015 model.

The engines will be built at five different plants - China, Hungary, Mexico, South Korea and the United States - and General Motors expects to produce more than 2.5 million annually by 2017.  They will eventually be used in 27 different models by the 2017 model year.

Source: GM