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New Models
AUTOS: Chevy Unveils All-New 2014 Corvette
The seventh generation of the GM sports car is introduced prior to the Detroit Auto Show.
Chevrolet designers held a global in-house competition for the 2014 Corvette’s new look. (Photo: Chevrolet)
The challenge was daunting, the charge great: Develop a seventh-generation Chevrolet Corvette that would not merely exceed expectations of the faithful but could reaffirm it as the greatest performance car for the dollar on the planet. And make sure the Vette's halo shines bright enough to prove this "new" General Motors competes globally with technology, ingenuity and passion not seen for generations.
That's the 2014 Corvette you see here, worthy of being christened Stingray for the first time in more than 25 years; the name was last used on the 1976 Corvette. It was unveiled Sunday night, on the eve of press preview days for the Detroit auto show. It goes on sale in the fall.
The highlights:
• A new aluminum 6.2-liter V8, with direct fuel injection and cylinder cutoff technology, cranks out at least 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. GM says final figures will be set later this year. It mates to either a six-speed automatic or seven-speed manual transmission with active rev matching. The new Corvette Stingray will rocket from 0 to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds – and deliver up to 30 mpg on the highway.
• Every Corvette Stingray gets an aluminum space frame that weights 100 pounds less than the steel frame used on the 2013 base Corvette. The wheelbase is an inch longer and the overall length is just 0.2 inches longer than a Porsche 911. The front and rear tracks are nearly one inch wider. Weight distribution is an ideal 50/50.
All this helps the Corvette Stingray pull 1.0 g on the track – with smaller tires than the current car – and cuts down the turning radius by nearly 2 feet. Thank to Chevrolet's continuing racing efforts, this Stingray brims with technology adapted from the C6.R road race car.
• The interior, long a sore point with Corvette owners and critics (literally and figuratively) is redesigned to be world class in comfort and function. The entire cabin is covered in premium materials, including leather, aluminum and carbon fiber.
Base and competition seats are heated and cooled, with beefy side bolsters to hold driver and passenger firmly in place. All controls are oriented toward the driver. The instrument panel includes two 8-inch video displays – the one behind the steering wheel changes based on the selected drive mode.
And here's the kicker, that push-you-over-the-top insight that may prompt a Porschephile or Tifosi to look toward Motown for that next big ride: Chevy says if you can afford today's Corvette, you'll be able to afford this one, too.
The new Stingray has another mission: Revive Corvette interest and sales.
Annual U.S. sales for the Corvette during the past four calendar years have ranged between 12,500 and 14,000 cars, less than half the 32,000-36,000 annual sales range for the car from 2004-2008, when the C6 was launched and before auto sales collapsed in 2009 with the recession.
The current sales rate makes it hard for General Motors to run the Bowling Green, Ky., assembly plant profitably. The Corvette is the only car the Bowling Green plant builds.
Still, GM spent $131 million to retool the plant to build the seventh-generation Corvette, $52 million of it on a new body shop to weld the aluminum frames. It had been buying the aluminum frames used on the current Corvette Z06 and ZR1 from supplier Dana Corp.
For all the changes – only two parts carry over: a roof panel latch and a cabin air filter – this Stingray is every bit a Corvette, with a long hood, short deck, and a wide and low stance, with a decidedly Italianate flair.
Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter's mission was formidable: This Corvette had to perform better than any Vette that came before, including the current car, already among the world's best.
"We set out to redefine modern performance," Juechter says. "We scanned the world for technology. But we didn't make changes just to be different. It had to enhance the driving experience."
That's the 2014 Corvette you see here, worthy of being christened Stingray for the first time in more than 25 years; the name was last used on the 1976 Corvette. It was unveiled Sunday night, on the eve of press preview days for the Detroit auto show. It goes on sale in the fall.
The highlights:
• A new aluminum 6.2-liter V8, with direct fuel injection and cylinder cutoff technology, cranks out at least 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. GM says final figures will be set later this year. It mates to either a six-speed automatic or seven-speed manual transmission with active rev matching. The new Corvette Stingray will rocket from 0 to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds – and deliver up to 30 mpg on the highway.
• Every Corvette Stingray gets an aluminum space frame that weights 100 pounds less than the steel frame used on the 2013 base Corvette. The wheelbase is an inch longer and the overall length is just 0.2 inches longer than a Porsche 911. The front and rear tracks are nearly one inch wider. Weight distribution is an ideal 50/50.
All this helps the Corvette Stingray pull 1.0 g on the track – with smaller tires than the current car – and cuts down the turning radius by nearly 2 feet. Thank to Chevrolet's continuing racing efforts, this Stingray brims with technology adapted from the C6.R road race car.
• The interior, long a sore point with Corvette owners and critics (literally and figuratively) is redesigned to be world class in comfort and function. The entire cabin is covered in premium materials, including leather, aluminum and carbon fiber.
Base and competition seats are heated and cooled, with beefy side bolsters to hold driver and passenger firmly in place. All controls are oriented toward the driver. The instrument panel includes two 8-inch video displays – the one behind the steering wheel changes based on the selected drive mode.
And here's the kicker, that push-you-over-the-top insight that may prompt a Porschephile or Tifosi to look toward Motown for that next big ride: Chevy says if you can afford today's Corvette, you'll be able to afford this one, too.
The new Stingray has another mission: Revive Corvette interest and sales.
Annual U.S. sales for the Corvette during the past four calendar years have ranged between 12,500 and 14,000 cars, less than half the 32,000-36,000 annual sales range for the car from 2004-2008, when the C6 was launched and before auto sales collapsed in 2009 with the recession.
The current sales rate makes it hard for General Motors to run the Bowling Green, Ky., assembly plant profitably. The Corvette is the only car the Bowling Green plant builds.
Still, GM spent $131 million to retool the plant to build the seventh-generation Corvette, $52 million of it on a new body shop to weld the aluminum frames. It had been buying the aluminum frames used on the current Corvette Z06 and ZR1 from supplier Dana Corp.
For all the changes – only two parts carry over: a roof panel latch and a cabin air filter – this Stingray is every bit a Corvette, with a long hood, short deck, and a wide and low stance, with a decidedly Italianate flair.
Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter's mission was formidable: This Corvette had to perform better than any Vette that came before, including the current car, already among the world's best.
"We set out to redefine modern performance," Juechter says. "We scanned the world for technology. But we didn't make changes just to be different. It had to enhance the driving experience."
The Lyonheart K
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