Larry/car

Interesting! No one said anything about the price. It could be the best looking, best handling automobile in the world, but if the price is sky high it might as well be a Chevette.

BluegrassMotorsport

Enzo Ferrari turns in his grave every single time an AWD Ferrari leaves the showroom. That should have never happened. Porsche is a different story, their AWD is fine.

It has been discussed a thousand times before here, but I don't see the Corvette ever becoming AWD. It just doesn't make sense.

BlueOx

Why doesn't it make sense to make ONE model AWD? It will happen some day, and all you got to do is look at the GTR, the Ferrari, the Porsche, the Audi and lots of other AWD racing-quality cars to see that.

I would suggest that they will NEVER grow their audience in europe if they don't do it. They won't be able to sell it for the same price point as the two wheel drive model. It will have to be far more expensive.

BluegrassMotorsport

You could have actually stopped there lol. No matter how fast the Corvette becomes, no matter how luxurious its interior feels, no matter how its price increases or decreases, no matter how great it becomes, the Corvette will never appeal to many European buyers. That is just how it is. That is why AWD is likely to never happen. Chevrolet are far more concerned with beating European cars than they are with attracting European buyers. And currently, they are succeeding with that goal.

There is always that small chance that it could happen. Of course, there is a small chance that anything could happen.

v8rx7com

range96

Reminds me of the old Datsun 240Z.

BlueOx

They may be beating it in some market spaces but clearly not in others. I want to see them FINALLY bring out an AWD Corvette because I think it would STOMP so many of those other cars because it would FINALLY put so much more of it's huge power to the ground!

vette4jr

LS1LT1

Ok, NOW we might be getting somewhere.
I think I could own/drive something like that as long as it's performance matches (or even exceeds) it's looks.

LS1LT1

The cheaper of the AWD Porsches and Nissan GTRs are nearly $100k cars. The better performing Porsche Turbo S is roughly $160k.
Are YOU going to pay nearly $100k+ for a base model Corvette?
Nissan GTRs also weigh 3900 pounds.
I don't want a 3900 pound (or even a 3600 pound) Corvette that also cost more than it needed to.





Wait, so ALL Europeans have suddenly STOPPED buying any and all RWD Porsches/BMWs/Ferraris?
They DO still sell those (and PLENTY of them) too ya know.





That's just it, adding an entirely different/new model adds SUBSTANTIAL costs. They HAVE TO sell lots of them to justify it otherwise it cannot and will not be approved by the bean counters and can ultimately hurt (and drive the prices up on) the other RWD C7 models if/when the AWD model fails.
I hear what you're saying and you do make some very valid points, but in light of the current economic climate worldwide and the somewhat recent gyrations within GM itself, it's probably just too big of a risk.

LS1LT1

But I've mentioned it in other threads. Cost is definitely a factor but historically speaking, GM/Chevrolet WILL NOT raise the base MSRP price of a new generation Corvette by a radical amount. The current base price of a C6 is $49k, for 2013 the final C6 might list for just over $50k so they can get the public used to the idea of base price that cracks that $50k+ barrier. That will of course allow them to raise the base price of the brand new 2014 model by a decent amount but if the outgoing C6 is $50k/$51k then it's likely that the first C7s will start out at only a $52k/$53k MSRP (before adding any options of course). Any higher than that and I probably won't be buying a new one any time soon, I love my C6 a lot so I will simply hold on to it, wait much longer until the pre-owned C7s start showing up and buy one of those.
Of course all of that's only on paper. The reality is that you can get a base C6 for under $43k right now so the true price gap between C6 and C7 will be more like $10k and not only $2k.

Endeka

>The better performing Porsche Turbo S is roughly $160k.
Are YOU going to pay nearly $100k+ for a base model Corvette?

The WRX-STI and the Evo cost a fraction of what the Corvette costs, and they're just as fast as a base model Corvette with much, much smaller engines. There's absolutely no reason for an AWD system to increase the cost of a base model Corvette by more than, say, $8,000.

LS1LT1

Huh?
Umm, no they're not.
In no fantasy world has a bone stock U.S. market Subaru WRX/STi or Mitsubishi Lancer Evo ever run an 11.7 second 1/4 mile at over 119+mph nor hit 190mph top speed.
The base bone stock Corvette LS3 has.
And can one really say that $34k is just a mere fraction of $49k anyway? It certainly is less though.

Wow, apparently the 'Gran Tourismo'/Grand Theft Auto'/'Need For Speed' video games really have caused people to twist reality a little bit.

rad928music

Here's a thought, Maybe they lengthed the wheel base to acommadate the AWD system.
Longer wheelbase will help ride quality ( no vibration problems at any speed).
Any way I wont be getting one due to the price, but it will be fun to see the development of it and all the hype.
.

LS1LT1

Hmm, possibly.
While I personally do not believe that the car will have AWD as standard or even available, I (nor anyone else not directly affiliated with the engineering/production/marketing of the car) certainly can't rule out the possibility of such either.

Balance (weight distribution), interior/cargo room, curb weight, fuel economy, cost, warranty and even tradition/history/legacy all come into play here.

Stew24

Even if the car was lengthened to accommodate an AWD system, what practical or otherwise reason is there for this 'Jimmy Durante" nose/front overhang is there? One of the ugliest aspects of the C5 was this ridiculous 24" of extra uncalled for plastic stretching out front of the front wheels. When they whacked that "beak" and that "butt" off the car for the C6 it was a blessing! What reason could there be for the awkward cumbersome design snafu??? Please GM, while there is still time, ... redesign that jutted disproportionate projection that exists out front of the wheels. Taper it in tightly just in front of the front tires with a sexy rolling slope.

kp1a

I hear they are testing a new V24 engine it that thing. It looks so long in those screen grabs that I think it might snap in half. I just don't get it.

skank

While watching the video I noticed at 1:05 as they are driving it into the garage the rear wheels appear to be spinning faster than a few seconds before. I have lived in northwest Wyoming and can validate that exact wheel spinning action while entering a dry interior space. My Corvette would actually get stuck as I would tip toe into my garage if I didn't maintain my slow constant rate of speed. It would spin just like the view in the video, which means it's certainly not AWD. Any of you living in a snowy winter environment can attest to this. Please chime in if any of you have experienced this as I have.

LS1LT1

100%

Shorter is better!

Boo383

I noticed this also.