No future for the mid-engine Corvette
With GM facing well-publicized challenges -- along with just about everyone else who needs a little thing called money -- certain high-profile and expensive programs are crowding up on the back burner. Even America's sports car, the Corvette, is not exempt, with CAFE regulations clouding the view inside the 'Vette Nation's crystal ball.
Motor Trend, commenting on the C7 Corvette's delayed arrival, has said that the new coupe won't appear until the 2014 model year at the earliest. The mid-engined route has also been scrapped, since it would simply cost too much to re-engineer the entire car for the purpose of easier integration of fuel saving tech like cylinder deactivation.
That means a six-cylinder is still being talked about -- by GM outsiders only, at this point -- as an option for the C7. If we take the Camaro as an example, that 2014 introduction date could mean late 2012, but that still only gives you four years to mentally prepare for a budget- and economy-minded V6 Corvette. Get cracking.
[Source: Motor Trend]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Red 2:42PM (10/07/2008)
I understand a lot of people have their reservations about a V6 powered Corvette, but look on the brightside. At least you're getting a Corvette at all.
If it keeps the nameplate alive, I would think people would be more open to it?
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Jon 10:29PM (10/07/2008)
I cannot stand when an automaker tinkers with an icon. A Corvette is a front-engined, rear-drive, two-seat, V8-powered sportscar. To change any of those qualities is to make a different vehicle, regardless of the nameplate on the back. And that's doing a disservice to enthusiasts and fans everywhere. I don't want to see such a beloved and historic vehicle being reduced to a shell of its former self, like an athlete or entertainer playing past their prime.
Sales are slow right now, but that has more to do with the state of the economy rather than gas prices. Think about the fuel efficiency of an AMG Mercedes, a Porsche 911 Turbo, or a Nissan GT-R. All of these vehicles are from countries where fuel costs a lot more than it does in the US, yet they still find buyers worldwide. The Vette is no different. And when the economy recovers the sales will as well.
Pokey 12:39AM (10/08/2008)
Jon, you do realize that the ORIGINAL Corvette only had 6 cylinders, right?
AZZO45b 10:22AM (10/08/2008)
Pokey, you do realize that was over 50 YEARS ago & the v6 Vette was not shown much love in their short v6 era, right?
The Corvette would have died in the late 50's if they had kept the v6 format... Why change to a V6 when no performance or fuel mileage advantages are gained???
LOs 2:54PM (10/07/2008)
Put a Cadillac front end on that render pictured and you'd have a more cohesive design.
A turbo 6 lightweight corvette would be good.
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TKOsoccer03 11:22AM (10/08/2008)
This rendering was actually done from the Cadillac Cien Concept.
http://www.diseno-art.com/images/Cadillac_Cien_top.jpg
BoxerFanatic 4:15PM (10/07/2008)
Are you kidding? You are a little late.
That IS a caddilac, the Cien concept, with the corvette stuff photochopped on.
Google the Cien, and you can see it in it's original form.
Torrent 3:04PM (10/07/2008)
aww man. I was hoping for one....
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WhatMadeItPopular? 3:16PM (10/07/2008)
Well the Corvette is known as a V8 powered muscle car.
Take that away and you loose lots of interest, V6s are great and all, but in the end its not a V8.
Unfortunately is looks like the internal combustion engine is pretty much dead after 5 to 10 years... I don't see myself going to car shows or races for electric cars at all, looks like the end of the line for me.
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Quattroporte 3:29PM (10/07/2008)
"Unfortunately is looks like the internal combustion engine is pretty much dead after 5 to 10 years..."
I'll assume you've forgotten about the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE and the production-ready BMW Hydrogen 7.
montoym 6:02PM (10/07/2008)
People have been calling for the death of the ICE for decades now. It hasn't happened yet and I don't expect it to happen any time soon.
I fully expect to be driving an ICE vehicle for probably the rest of my life and I'm under 30yrs old.
Not to say that there won't be many competiting technologies, I just don't see many of them taking the place of the ICE any time soon. Certainly not in the next 15-20yrs.
Shipey 3:25PM (10/07/2008)
As long as the six is twin turbo'd over 400hp and named Blue Flame I'm on board!
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AZZO45b 7:22PM (10/07/2008)
The current Corvette with the V8 & the 6 speed man. box has 400HP now & gets pretty good HWY mileage. The Z06 has 500+ & its HWY numbers are good too.
How the hellll do you think a TURBO CHARGED/ 400HP motor would get "good mileage"? Name any current TC performance car (especially with twin turbos) that gets good mileage?
My point is it WOULD NOT so why bastardize the Corvette's history? The Vette is approaching 60 & the V6 power were Corvette "baby diapers" & generally panned. The V8 powered Corvettes is what has made this Chevy model last almost 60 years (not some generic V6).
fixitfixitstop 3:28PM (10/07/2008)
People should remember that the 1953 and 1954 Corvettes had 6-cylinders in them. I have no problem with a V6 Corvette. The V8 gets decent gas mileage. A V6 should be even better.
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montoym 6:35PM (10/07/2008)
The V8 gets good mileage beacase it's a V8. It has the low-end power to lope around with a 0.50:1 6th gear ratio. I don't see many V6's that will be able to effectively use that type of gearing on the highway.
That's even without adding DI or cylinder cutoff to the current Vette V8. There's still plenty of life to be had in the V8 Corvette. Though I do think a V6 option would be interesting, so long as the V8 is still available.
MikeW 10:08PM (10/07/2008)
The crossplane V8 is the least efficient engine configuration, so 'because its a V8' is nonsense. It is because it is 6.2 liters of displacement.
The Vette pulls a top gear of 45mph per 1K revs.
It HAS to pull a top gear that tall because the corvette doesn't have: variable valve timing, variable camshaft timing, external exhaust gas recirculation, cylinder idling, direct injection, etc.
GM could make a Vette with the 3.6, all they would need to do is shorten the axle ratio about 10-15%
How about 9% for the coupe 3.42->3.73, and 3.42->3.9X for the convertible.
That would still allow a top speed of 170mph in the coupe, and the convertible would still be able to go 165mph with the top down.
Acura pulls a top gear of 35mph per 1K in the TL
Honda pulls a top gear of 30mph per 1K in the civic.
Dodge pulls 50mph per 1K in the Viper
I'd like to see the Audi A4 2.0T pull 50mph per 1K with the ZF 8 speed automatic (258ft-lbs@1500)
The LS3 only has about 1/3 more torque at that engine speed.
3seriesisking 3:29PM (10/07/2008)
BOOOOOO!!!! THUMBS DOWN!!!! ETC!!!!
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paulmer 3:31PM (10/07/2008)
Can someone explain to me the effects of the CAFE regulations? What do they stipulate?
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Dave 3:34PM (10/07/2008)
I'd reckon that a large portion of corvette owners will never even "race" their corvettes. As long as they put a big V6 in there that's loud enough to make people notice and still faster than your mommy's Impala, I don't think anyone should take issue.
Besides, how do those 2 extra cylinders help you cruise at 70mph on I-95? They don't. But don't get me wrong. I'm not endorsing the deletion of the V8 variant at all!
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JF 4:58PM (10/07/2008)
Dave,
Why would you want a loud DOHC V6 when an LS V8 will sound worlds better, will be hardly heavier, and get essentially the same mpg. And btw, those extra 2 cylinders DO help you cruise at 70 mph, as the extra low end power allows you to run a taller gear and make any mpg difference negligible.