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From http://thecarconnection.com :
C6 'Vette Schedule Revealed
One of the most important of those launches - from a prestige, rather than volume standpoint - will be the next-generation Corvette, known internally as the C6. There have been countless rumors in recent months, along with a few spy shots, and not all that hitting the media is close to accurate, General Motors officials insisted during a series of interviews at the Vette's 50th anniversary bash in Nashville last weekend.
Those involved in the project were relatively tight-lipped, though some details did emerge, including the C6 roll-out schedule, which will start with a media preview at the Detroit Auto Show next January. The next-generation coupe will appear in showrooms at the start of the '05 model year, and before 2006 is out, there will be a new convertible and an updated Z06. The original plan was to have the coupe out in fall 2003 as an '04, but spending cutbacks following 9/11 put things on hold. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, according to Gary Cowger, president of GM's North American operations, who says it let them "put some significant tweaks into the car."
Expect "more of everything," adds GM "car czar," Bob Lutz, including a good bit more horsepower. A base 400-plus horsepower appears a certainty, and with 500 hp being the new industry benchmark, that's expected to be the Z06 starting point. "The bar has been raised" at all levels, Chief Engineer Dave Hill underscores, so even the C6 interior will have to be world-class.
Design, stresses recently retired designer Jerry Palmer, will be evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. Lutz let slip that the C6's wheels will be moved a bit closer to the corners, the goal of every sports car development team. The bottom line, says Palmer, is that the next Vette will have to be a truly global competitor, "but we always try to retain the Corvette signature inside and out." -Paul A. Eisenstein
C6 'Vette Schedule Revealed
One of the most important of those launches - from a prestige, rather than volume standpoint - will be the next-generation Corvette, known internally as the C6. There have been countless rumors in recent months, along with a few spy shots, and not all that hitting the media is close to accurate, General Motors officials insisted during a series of interviews at the Vette's 50th anniversary bash in Nashville last weekend.
Those involved in the project were relatively tight-lipped, though some details did emerge, including the C6 roll-out schedule, which will start with a media preview at the Detroit Auto Show next January. The next-generation coupe will appear in showrooms at the start of the '05 model year, and before 2006 is out, there will be a new convertible and an updated Z06. The original plan was to have the coupe out in fall 2003 as an '04, but spending cutbacks following 9/11 put things on hold. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, according to Gary Cowger, president of GM's North American operations, who says it let them "put some significant tweaks into the car."
Expect "more of everything," adds GM "car czar," Bob Lutz, including a good bit more horsepower. A base 400-plus horsepower appears a certainty, and with 500 hp being the new industry benchmark, that's expected to be the Z06 starting point. "The bar has been raised" at all levels, Chief Engineer Dave Hill underscores, so even the C6 interior will have to be world-class.
Design, stresses recently retired designer Jerry Palmer, will be evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. Lutz let slip that the C6's wheels will be moved a bit closer to the corners, the goal of every sports car development team. The bottom line, says Palmer, is that the next Vette will have to be a truly global competitor, "but we always try to retain the Corvette signature inside and out." -Paul A. Eisenstein
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