You have to ask, from GM's perspective, what is the end result from a six cylinder powered two-seater within the Corvette family and what it is meant to accomplish.
Higher volume, increased sales, brand awareness, broader markets, environmental regulations, less packaging weight, lower insurance premiums, decreased production costs, etc. are all important considerations.
The Corvette has a brand awareness with unique equity, from a naturally aspirated overhead valve small block Chevy, rear drive, and two seats. Headlights are still debated, materials change, and wheels get bigger, but the package says "Corvette" from a mile away.
If we are looking at lower costs, with the supply and demand leading to increased sales, why not dip into the family of engines at a lower displacement. I'm nearing thirty years old, have an older Vette, and me and my wife make decent money, but simply cannot afford a new Vette. If a new 4.8L V8, 285 hp, low-option Vette sold for $30,000 tomorrow, I would write a check PROUDLY, as would many of you reading this.
If gas consumption or emission controls are an issue, displacement on demand, skip shift transmissions, and final drive ratios are technologies presently available to avoid the gas guzzler tax GM is quick to advertise against. And if less 'gadgets' were installed to begin with, the overall weight would decrease, and we all know the advantages of that.
Corvette has a large percentage of customers as repeat customers. Owners are justifiably proud of what the Corvette means to us, its performance, and its appeal on the road. So why would GM consider a six cylinder engine after spending fifty years of development and heritage to be where it is today.
Would you camp out two days to hear a C6-R turbo V6 at speed? This isn't 1985. The Corvette needs to be de-contented, not de-masculinated.