Motor Trend Magazine Predicts C7 Rollout schedule

[Rob]

According to the latest print edition of Motor Trend Magazine:

"The rollout for the C7 Chevrolet Corvette will look like this: The standard coupe will launch in late 2013 or early '14, with the convertible coming three to six months later. The Z06 is next, a full year after the standard coupe. Then comes Gran (sic) Sport coupe and convertible, with the ZR1 the last of the next-gen Corvettes to hit showrooms. Rumor has it that the ZR1's supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 will shrink in displacement slightly, for corporate average fuel economy reasons, and there will be a 3.6-liter V-6 version of the base Corvette, though not at launch."

Below is Motor Trend's prediction:

Fourth Quarter 2013 / First Quarter 2014 - Base 2014 Corvette Coupe
Second Quarter 2014 - Base 2014 Corvette Convertible
2015 Model Year - Z06 Coupe
Later in 2015 Model Year - Grand Sport Coupe & Convertible
2016 Model Year - ZR1 Coupe

 

[Rob]

And from Car and Driver magazine, we have a photo rendition...

:ugh

 

[i10fwy]

And from Car and Driver magazine, we have a photo rendition...

:ugh

Looks like a Camaro rear bumper? Not sure I like it. But then it took some time for the C6 to grow on me.

i10fwy

 

[Huskerman]

Why would they drag it out so long? I'm not getting any younger..........

 

[67vet]

No sales of ZR-1's for a few years and no GS for a couple of years?
I guess they have their sales stratergy figured out.

 

[catbert]

And from Car and Driver magazine, we have a photo rendition...

:ugh

God, I hope they clean that up! It is waaaaaay tooooooo Camaro. The Vette should not take styling cues from ANY other GM model.

 

[Low drag - High speed]

The front-end rendering on the magazine cover ain't half bad ...

... but the rear end is absolutely hideous. It's not even about Camaro styling cues, but rather the uncoordinated look of parts stuffed half-hazardly into some kind of slab-sided shell of an uncoordinated body.

Where are the flowing, aerodynamic lines and the powerful, muscular look? The prehistoric back window looks more like a '66 Charger or a 240Z than the icon of American performance machines.


And the side window and roofline ... dare I say it ... MUSTANG!


It's not even about taste or personal preference with this one. It simply sucks.

 

[hihosilver]

... but the rear end is absolutely hideous. It's not even about Camaro styling cues, but rather the uncoordinated look of parts stuffed half-hazardly into some kind of slab-sided shell of an uncoordinated body.Where are the flowing, aerodynamic lines and the powerful, muscular look? The prehistoric back window looks more like a '66 Charger or a 240Z than the icon of American performance machines.And the side window and roofline ... dare I say it ... MUSTANG!It's not even about taste or personal preference with this one. It simply sucks.

I have to agree. The back end of the car is terrible.

 

[jims427400]

I sure hope GM is reading this..BUT it's too late anyway..

Maybe all these early prototypes are just being released to make the real thing that much more exciting when we finally get to see it. GOSH I HOPE SO !!!

I have to agree. The back end of the car is terrible.

 

[Huskerman]

That is an artists ideas after seeing the mule vids and taking some wild ass guesses........I'm thinking we won't be disappointed.......hope not anyway.......

 

[Toms007]

If that is the New Corvette, I don't like it at all. Looks too much like the Camaro rear end.:ugh

 

[Huskerman]

I haven't had a new Corvette stun me since the 63 Split window....I was 13 years old. Since then it takes me some getting used to the new shape. I liked the C6 when it came out but did not have much good to say about the C4 or C5. I at one time did not like the rear end on the C5 and now think its rolling sculpture.....a thing of beauty.....so stun me in a good way Chevrolet.....I'm ready.

 

[Toms007]

I've liked most of the new Corvettes when they came out (C2 obviously, C3, C4). The C5's 'butt' always looked big and out of place to me, but (no pun intended) it has grown on me. And now I see it as a masculine thing. The C6 with it's exposed headlights didn't thrill me at first, but I've grown to like them as well. If this is what the C7 is going to be, it will probably grow on me too. I guess maybe I need to see the whole package.

 

[Low drag - High speed]

I think the factory has missed yet another opportunity.

After a decade of "retro rides" like the Mustang, Camaro, Challenger and even the C6, you would think it's time to rewrite the book and come out with an earth-shaking change that can dazzle the masses. The design talent is there and so is the engineering expertise, but instead, the geriatric leadership hesitates to take that step and amaze us all. If the C7 even resembles what we're seeing now, GM has missed the boat. Where else but at Bowling Green can America set the automotive world on it's ear? And where else can do more damage to our leadership in the industry by exercising so much caution that it lights only a mediocre firecracker instead of an a-bomb of excellence?

We don't need something that eventually "grows on us," but rather a car that sets a new international standard for beauty and performance ... IMHO.

 

[danl72]

I think the C7 will be a short run as GM prepares the C8.

 

[Low drag - High speed]

I think Hib Halverson offered one viable alternative ...

... when he talked about a direct-injection V6. What if the car were reduced in size and the layout was a transverse mid engine? Then go for piezo-electric bars for an infinitly-variable lighweight suspension that could be controlled at each wheel, plus all-wheel drive. A supercharger would help pull big V8 power out of the V6 and the power-to-weight ratio would enhance performance with the leaner chassis.


Then let's get rid of all the spare scoopage and wingdings that create drag and offer little function. A nice, clean body designed purely for aerodynamics. Don't pay homage to some bullcrap design trend dreamed up by some guy in a suit with a turtleneck, like that Origami they're worshiping over at Cadillac. And no garish exaggerations like the Bizzarre World Transformer concept 'Vette. We just want very low drag and very high speed. The C7 drawings we're seeing have a lot of blind spots, but the teardrop top that Corvette has used since 1978 has excellent all-around visibility and very little drag. Stick with that, but put all the framing underneath the glass so it becomes a continuous tinted glass canopy with small seams for the doors, hatch and targa top. And make it a little lower to cut the wind more smoothly.

No baby-buggy bling wheels and paper thin sidewalls.

Make it more than awesome. And please, don't feed us another crapsicle like the other factories are doing.

 

[catbert]

I think the C7 will be a short run as GM prepares the C8.

That was the plan for the C6. The C8 will be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay expensive for GM to get into production if they make the huge changes being talked about. That makes me believe the C8 will come out as soon as GM can afford it. That means the C7 may have a long run unless it sells a lot better than the C6 has been doing lately. But then again, unless the C7 sells well, there won't be a C8.

 

[LLC5]

God, I hope they clean that up! It is waaaaaay tooooooo Camaro. The Vette should not take styling cues from ANY other GM model.

Abosutely! In fact it should be just the opposite, Vette's should lead the way in styling cues, not follow anyone.

GM is pulling a real bone headed move if that Camaro rear end goes into production. Just keep the C6 going if that's all they can come up with.

 

[LouG]

Bowling Green Tours

According to the latest print edition of Motor Trend Magazine:


Below is Motor Trend's prediction:

Fourth Quarter 2013 / First Quarter 2014 - Base 2014 Corvette Coupe
Second Quarter 2014 - Base 2014 Corvette Convertible
2015 Model Year - Z06 Coupe
Later in 2015 Model Year - Grand Sport Coupe & Convertible
2016 Model Year - ZR1 Coupe

I don't understand. I just read in Corvette Magazine that Bowling Green Tours will end September 14 of this year in order to begin seventh-generation Corvette production. No new Corvettes coming out of Bowling Green for 12 to 15 months???

 

[Tuna]

I don't understand. I just read in Corvette Magazine that Bowling Green Tours will end September 14 of this year in order to begin seventh-generation Corvette production. No new Corvettes coming out of Bowling Green for 12 to 15 months???

It'll probably be more like 6 months with the C7 available in the summer of 2013.

As for the C8, I think a part-time 4WD Vette needs to be considered: Mid-engine V8 with say 400 HP that drives the rear wheels and a generator that charges a small battery pack in the center tunnel. The front wheels would be powered by an electric motor - 100-150 HP - using the battery pack.

The electronics would control the power to the front wheels during launch and poor traction conditions. During normal operations, the front would not be getting any power and just rolling along. The gas engine would spin the generator as needed to keep the battery pack peaked up and ready for use. It would have plug in charger capability also. As the electric motor would not be used all the time, the battery pack could be lots smaller.

Figuring out where to put luggage for a 10-day road trip would be the hard part.