Sneak Peek: 2014 Chevrolet C7 Corvette

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.
- - - - - -

Last summer, a funny thing happened on the way to GM's bankruptcy. Government practitioners sent to administer CPR discovered a jewel in the rough -- the perennially profitable Corvette. Without hesitation, they shifted the next-generation Vette from indefinite hold to fully funded program.

For engineers like Tadge Juechter, who has developed Corvettes for seventeen years, it doesn't get any better than a green light from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. "We began working on C7 last fall," the fifty-three-year-old chief engineer explained. "We haven't announced production timing, but past Corvettes required three to four years of engineering and development. So there will be several more years with the current body style before a new model arrives."

Asked what new technologies we should expect to see in the next Corvette, a cautious Juechter answered, "Fuel economy is an obvious priority. Today's Corvettes provide excellent mileage, but we intend to pursue any strategy that has the potential of improving both fuel economy and performance."

Asked whether V-8s will remain a core attribute, Juechter offered a surprising response, "Corvette will always be a high-performance sports car, so that means it must continue to offer high-performance powertrains. Acknowledging the fact that the world is full of high-output V-6s, including a few at GM, I'd say that nothing is off the table at this point. We're in the due-diligence phase of determining which engines will yield the best C7. Considering V-8 alternatives is analogous to our move away from pop-up headlamps, a Corvette tradition for four generations. But the bottom line is always whatever strategy delivers the best car."

When chided for the lack of transmission and driveline innovation during the C6 era, Juechter became defensive. "The popular perception that more transmission speeds means higher efficiency is not supported by our analytical results," he said. "Corvette engines have broad torque and power bands that don't need extra gears to hold them at their efficiency peaks.

"The wider ratio spreads offered by seven- and eight-speed transmissions are useful to a point. But with extra gears come extra moving parts and spin losses. While dual-clutch transmissions tend to be more efficient than torque-converter automatics, they still exhibit slippage during launch.

"All-wheel drive makes a lot of sense in some applications, such as expensive sports cars and for sedan buyers seeking maximum security in bad weather. We like the additional launch traction provided by all-wheel drive, but the extra mass diminishes performance and mileage. And since the Corvette has traditionally been a three-season sports car, we don't have customers clamoring for improved winter mobility.

No future for the mid-engine Corvette

With GM facing well-publicized challenges -- along with just about everyone else who needs a little thing called money -- certain high-profile and expensive programs are crowding up on the back burner. Even America's sports car, the Corvette, is not exempt, with CAFE regulations clouding the view inside the 'Vette Nation's crystal ball.

Motor Trend, commenting on the C7 Corvette's delayed arrival, has said that the new coupe won't appear until the 2014 model year at the earliest. The mid-engined route has also been scrapped, since it would simply cost too much to re-engineer the entire car for the purpose of easier integration of fuel saving tech like cylinder deactivation.

That means a six-cylinder is still being talked about -- by GM outsiders only, at this point -- as an option for the C7. If we take the Camaro as an example, that 2014 introduction date could mean late 2012, but that still only gives you four years to mentally prepare for a budget- and economy-minded V6 Corvette. Get cracking.

2014 Corvette Spied!

Now that the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera has been revealed in the flesh, all enthusiast eyes are turning toward General Motors, where the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette has assumed the mantle of the most anticipated future product in the car world.

Yes, America does still build rocket ships, as Chevy likes to say, and the C7 promises to live up to that hype. Spy shots of the car offer several clues as to how the next-gen Corvette will differ from its direct predecessors yet perhaps draw on the car's singular heritage.

Looking at these photos, it's evident the wheelbase of the Corvette will change. The wheels, particularly in front, are clearly off-centered in this C6 body shell being used as a test mule. This indicates a longer wheelbase which could return a more comfortable drive character. The photos also suggest a narrower layout.

In back, there's a quad exhaust configuration, though intriguingly, the outer two pipes are capped off. That could have a variety of implications.

Corvette also sells the C6 with two frames, one made of steel for the base versions and an aluminum frame for the Z06 and the ZR1. It's expected that the C7 will go strictly with steel.

GM said in May that it will spend $131 million and will add 250 jobs to improve the Bowling Green, Ky., factory that builds the Corvette. That's a dramatic increase from the $39 million spent in 2005 when the site changed over to produce the C6. The facility has built Corvettes for 30 years.

Production of the C7 will begin in 2013, and the car launches as a 2014 model.

That dramatic increase in spending has led to speculation that the Corvette could be in for a major facelift. Reports have suggested a seven-speed manual transmission could be offered. It's also possible that the 6.2-liter V8 could be downsized, perhaps to about 5.5 liters. The current V8 in the Corvette ZR1 employs supercharging, but twin-turbocharging has also been rumored as a future technology. A V6--perhaps reinforced with some kind of forced-induction and making a high output--has also been generating considerable chatter among Corvette fans.

Also look for some carbon fiber, but not as extreme as the tactics employed by some supercar makers such as Lamborghini.

GM design chief Ed Welburn has told Autoweek that the Stingray concept from the 2009 Detroit auto show will not be the C7. But many reports have suggested that the next Vette could get a split-window option.

Chevy has sold 9,123 Corvettes through the first eight months of 2011 in the United States, a 5 percent uptick compared with the same period in 2010.