DETROIT – When General Motors engineers and designers started work on the next-generation Corvette, they drew up the usual requirements for the star of American muscle cars.
Killer looks. Big engine. Handles like a race car.
But topping the list was something at odds with the roar of the cars big V-8: Gas mileage.
The new Corvette could not be a gas guzzler. Stricter government rules were forcing a leap in fuel economy. If the car burned too much gas, it would trigger fines from regulators and never get built.
“There wont be a Corvette if we dont care about fuel economy,” said Tadge Juechter, the cars chief engineer.
But the 2014 Corvette is here, the first all-new version in nine years. The king of American sports cars, driven by astronauts and celebrated in a Prince song, rolled out Sunday night in Detroit. It will arrive in showrooms this fall.
Getting there was tough for the 1,000-member Corvette team, which gave the car the code name “C7.” GMs bankruptcy slowed development twice. With each delay, new safety and gas mileage regulations forced changes. The Corvette team overhauled the car: aluminum replaced steel, super-light rivets held parts together, and the V-8 engine kicked down to four cylinders at highway speeds, saving fuel.
All the changes helped it overcome nine years of government crash safety requirements that could have bloated the car. But even with the lighter materials, the regulations have pushed its weight to a little more than the current base models 3,200 pounds (1,451 kilograms). Still, its an engineering achievement. The Corvette is so new that it only shares two parts with the current model.
GM said testing is still being done on the cars fuel economy, but itll be better than the current base models 16 mpg (6.8 kpl) in the city and 26 mpg (11.05 kpl) on the highway. Juechter said the window sticker highway mileage wont reach 30 mpg (12.75 kpl), but he wouldnt be surprised to see some drivers get that or more.
The cars usual buyers – men in their mid-50s – will also notice dramatic changes on the outside of the two-seat car. The hood slopes low to slice through the wind. All the vents and scoops have functional purposes like cooling the brakes or transmission.
On the back, designers took cues from the1963 Corvette, with a sloping roof that tapers toward the bottom. The car has a small Stingray badge on each side, complete with gills. And theres a more modern rendition of the Corvettes crossed-flag logo.
A 6.2-litre small-block V-8 with 450 horsepower takes the car from zero to 60 mph in under four seconds. Thats at least a few tenths of a second faster than the current base model.
Engineers also redesigned the somewhat-chintzy interior, giving it a jet cockpit look with leather, carbon fiber and soft plastics.
GM hopes the styling, performance and updated dashboard electronics will expand the cars appeal to younger buyers. The Corvettes been a favourite of adrenaline junkies for 60 years. Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard owned one from the first year – 1953.
The company wont quote a price on the 2014 model. But Juechter said someone who bought the current version can afford the new one. The Corvette starts at $49,600. That is more than $30,000 below what GM considers its chief competitor, the Porsche 911. The car makes a decent profit for GM despite relatively low sales, Juechter said.
GM wouldnt give sales targets for the new car. Last year it sold only 14,000 of the aging Corvettes, down from over 30,000 the first few years after the current version was rolled out. Porsche sold about 8,500 911s last year.
The prospect of a new Vette has fans waiting anxiously, browsing the Internet for unauthorized photos or drawings. Thousands of aficionados live in the U.S., and even Europe and the Middle East.
John Browning, 70, president of the Renegade Corvette Club of Hollywood, Florida, one of 600 such clubs in the U.S, said some Corvette lovers cant contain themselves.
“Ive got one member, he just sold his 13 in anticipation, to wait for the 14.”
To many owners, the new Corvette symbolizes the rebirth of Americas auto industry after its near death in 2009, showing the world that it again can lead in technology, styling and performance – at a lower cost that European competitors.
“I think the Corvette is the icon,” said Browning. “As far as Im concerned you cant get a better deal.”
