For the first time, General Motors studios across the world have submitted design studies for the next-generation Chevrolet Corvette.
Late last year, Ed Welburn, GM's vice president of global design, invited GM's 10 styling studios to submit design proposals.
Some "were absolutely phenomenal," Welburn said. "There is a lot to pick from. The direction that we take is very important, and the decision has not been made."
Global input on the Corvette's design is one of several steps GM is taking to attract buyers in Europe, where the car has little appeal, and young U.S. buyers who favor imports.
"We have challenges in the States with the Corvette," Welburn said in an interview at the Geneva auto show. "The average age of the customer is really rising."
The current average age of a Corvette buyer is 54, according to the Power Information Network, a unit of J.D. Power and Associates.
A redesign is due in two to three years, industry sources say.
Corvette critics often cite the sports car's size, saying it looks big. They also point to what they say is a cheap-looking interior.
Welburn admitted the interior has a problem: "The execution, materials selection--it's got to be a much better interior. Our customers desire that."
Welburn said today's Corvette is about the same size as the Porsche 911, but the styling makes it look bigger. "We have to develop a design that feels trimmer, meaner, to go along with the incredible performance that the car has," he said.
In addition to styling, content, pricing and marketing strategy are under discussion, he said.
"It is a key time in the development of the Corvette," Welburn said. "There is a lot of debate and a lot of study on the bandwidth of Corvette."
But, he added, "It can't mutate into something that gets so far away from Corvette that it is no longer a Corvette."
Most likely, the front-engine C7 will sport a 5.5-liter V-8 with the same power output as the Corvette’s current engine.
Had GM not filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the next Corvette, the C7, was going to be a mid-engine design. That plan, however, has been put on hold, perhaps until the C8. In the meantime, the new C7 will retain a front-engine design, but the car will lose weight while its engine will become more effective at extracting energy from fuel. That doesn’t mean Chevy’s small-block is going to get overhead cams, but it will become slightly more sophisticated, likely with the addition of direct injection. That technology, along with a bump in compression, is good for additional power. Most likely the C7 will sport a 5.5-liter V-8 with the same power output as the current 6.2-liter LS3 (a hint at this displacement comes from the GT2 race car).
The new Vette’s performance will be aided further by a diet of composites, aluminum and magnesium, dropping the car’s curb weight to about 3000 lb. The 2011 Z06 Carbon Edition should give a good indication of what Chevy is capable of with the Corvette. Improved aerodynamics will also help the Vette punch a smaller hole through the air, aiding acceleration, top speed and mpg. Speaking of the Z06, there’s a good chance the next generation will be supercharged like the current ZR1. And the Performance Traction Management system soon will no longer be exclusive to the ZR1.
<object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cVycCzxPsuM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cVycCzxPsuM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object>CorvetteBlogger.com recently posted a video of Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter lambasting Automobile Magazine for our story on the next-generation Corvette. Juechter implies that our article was sensationalist and misattributed information to him. Automobile Magazine stands by its story.
It is clear that, in his appearance before the Corvette faithful in Bowling Green on May 1st, Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter regretted speaking as freely as he did to our reporter, industry veteran and Corvette owner Don Sherman. Mr. Juechter can spin his comments all he wishes, but a careful reading of our story, which is reprinted here, reveals that 75% of the story consists of verbatim quotes from Mr. Juechter himself. At the end of our piece, Don Sherman prognosticates about the future Corvette; it is crystal clear to the reader that at this point in the story, it’s Don Sherman making educated guesses, not Tadge Juechter speaking. At no point did Don quote Mr. Juechter as definitively stating that a V-6 is in the works for C7, but he did indeed predict that a V-6 is a POSSIBILITY, based partly on Mr. Juechter’s comments that most certainly implied that this is the case. Don also makes it clear that, in his opinion, a V-8 is a certainty for the next Vette, but speculates that it might not be standard equipment.
It is a bit rich that, at this juncture, Mr. Juechter stands in front of a Corvette crowd and says about Automobile Magazine, and about print automotive enthusiast magazines in general: “Don’t believe any of what you read. Most of it will be wrong. They may guess on some things luckily, but most of the time it will be wrong. It can [even] be attributed to me and be totally wrong.” Well, when 75% of the article is verbatim quote from you, Mr. Juechter, is the article 75% wrong?
Mr. Juechter wishes to dismiss the entire category of automotive enthusiast print magazines out of hand. This is a strange approach, given that Automobile Magazine and its competitors play a major role in promoting Corvette enthusiasm, even now when, as Mr. Juechter readily admits, the next-generation Corvette is still years away.
Whats wrong? Everybody else is doing flashbacks. Don't hate on the sting ray. haha.please no
Seems a no brainer. Make TWO Vettes. A "classic" Vette for the old farts and a "new age" Vette for the young dudes.Global input on the Corvette's design is one of several steps GM is taking to attract buyers in Europe, where the car has little appeal, and young U.S. buyers who favor imports. "We have challenges in the States with the Corvette," Welburn said in an interview at the Geneva auto show. "The average age of the customer is really rising." The current average age of a Corvette buyer is 54, according to the Power Information Network, a unit of J.D. Power and Associates. A redesign is due in two to three years, industry sources say. Corvette critics often cite the sports car's size, saying it looks big. They also point to what they say is a cheap-looking interior. Welburn admitted the interior has a problem: "The execution, materials selection--it's got to be a much better interior. Our customers desire that."
Welburn said today's Corvette is about the same size as the Porsche 911, but the styling makes it look bigger. "We have to develop a design that feels trimmer, meaner, to go along with the incredible performance that the car has," he said.In addition to styling, content, pricing and marketing strategy are under discussion, he said."It is a key time in the development of the Corvette," Welburn said. "There is a lot of debate and a lot of study on the bandwidth of Corvette." But, he added, "It can't mutate into something that gets so far away from Corvette that it is no longer a Corvette.
Had GM not filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the next Corvette, the C7, was going to be a mid-engine design. That plan, however, has been put on hold, perhaps until the C8. In the meantime, the new C7 will retain a front-engine design, but the car will lose weight while its engine will become more effective at extracting energy from fuel. That doesn’t mean Chevy’s small-block is going to get overhead cams, but it will become slightly more sophisticated, likely with the addition of direct injection. That technology, along with a bump in compression, is good for additional power. Most likely the C7 will sport a 5.5-liter V-8 with the same power output as the current 6.2-liter LS3 (a hint at this displacement comes from the GT2 race car).
The new Vette’s performance will be aided further by a diet of composites, aluminum and magnesium, dropping the car’s curb weight to about 3000 lb. The 2011 Z06 Carbon Edition should give a good indication of what Chevy is capable of with the Corvette. Improved aerodynamics will also help the Vette punch a smaller hole through the air, aiding acceleration, top speed and mpg. Speaking of the Z06, there’s a good chance the next generation will be supercharged like the current ZR1. And the Performance Traction Management system soon will no longer be exclusive to the ZR1.