I applaud GM for this.

They are playing to the majority of Corvette owners. Automatic Corvettes are in the majority. From the Idaho Corvette page the percentage of automatic Corvettes:

2001 – 55%
2000 – 60%
1999 – 59%
1998 – 77.1%
1997 – 71.2%

GM is just trying to give them a "little" more control then they have had in the past.

Whatever it takes to keep the Corvette alive is good with me.

 

I wonder if the paddles will be an option, or standard with the A6?

 

Intersting.

 

You wouldn't want to respect the work that went into getting this pictures by the other site would you?

at least you admit you stole them.

 

"an automatic "

Daniel

 

At the same time/place where the nearly identical Porsche Tiptronic/BMW Steptronic versions find use I suppose...not sure exactly when or where that would be either but unless you're ALSO going to ridicule those two marques (as well as others) for having such a feature than I will kindly ask that everyone please refrain from doing the same to this awesome car.

Btw, while I too wish it were a true F1/SMG type semi auto I am still VERY happy to see this.

 

I think crabman is right about this setup. Going to be similar to what Chrysler had in their cars in the mid-50's except they were push buttons on the dash. I think Rambler and the Edsel had them as well. Let's hope for the best.

 

Let us please NOT turn this into yet another 'auto versus manual' debate, not everyone has the physical capabilities (ie: spinal cord injury, amputees, simple knee injuries etc.) to operate a traditional manual transmission yet I think it's fair to assume that everyone IS still entitled to own/drive this incredible machine.
So without sounding too much like an overly politically correct liberal (I am NOT), let's please not go there.

 

I'm a member of both forums. Removing the Digital Corvettes watermarks in insulting to the person who went through the trouble of posting these photos. Their hard work is why we are having this discussion. Your "respect for this forum" is very disrespectful to the other.

Give props where they are due.

 

Take a deep breath. "Upshift only" would indeed be worthless, but do you imagine that GM would do something so stupid? This question has already been answered on Digital Corvettes, from which cerino2000 lifted the photos (minus the watermarks). The buttons are for upshifting. You downshift with your middle finger on the back of the wheel.

But the paddles are INCIDENTAL. The important news is that the MY06 C6 will get a 6-speed auto trans. At least 5 years late. Approximately 57% of Corvettes sold today have auto trans. By this time next year that figure will be around 70%. This will bother many. So too will the fact that the A6 will be faster. (On the SLK350, the 7-speed auto beats the 6-speed manual by .2 seconds.) Out with the old, in with the new.

Someone in this thread asked: Will this put a dent in MY2005 sales? Yes, in a big way. Corvette marketing has to be furious. I'd like to know the story behind those photos. And I'd like to know when the A6 will debut. September? Mid-model-year?

 

It's all about what the particular driver needs/wants... Either way, I'm glad the Corvette will finally get the option. Been a long time coming.

 

I have the Steptronic on my BMW - a blast to drive in manual mode. It overrides the computerized shift points of the automatic (adaptive) and sport modes, thus allowing near-redline shifts.

 

I didn't steal anything. There is no copyright on them. HOWEVER....you are correct in that someone did go through some effort on this to get them so I am taking the pics down so the other site can enjoy their glory and also untill I get word from the proper people that it is ok to put them back on. Those of you that got to see them, enjoy. Of course, if someone else posts a link to them somewhere else, that is out of my hands.

 

Thanks for the preview.

 

 

My Lexus IS300 had push buttons shift at the 9 and 3 0clock positions. When really pushing the car through a lot of turns and doing a lot of up and down shifts I found the buttons to be a little hard to find at times. In HiPerf driving schools they teach you to slide the wheel through your hands which can make you lose touch with the buttons

So I think the buttons/levers in the pictures (currently removed) really can't be called paddles. They are way too small and too easy to lose touch with. For more moderate speeds/levels though they will be very enjoyable. I liked the ones on my Lexus.

 

You can view the pics now at Digitalcorvettes.com

 

As us purists grow older? Stick shifting a sports car has nothing to do with age. It's fun and challenging to do really well. And it will always be so.

 

I agree it is fun but i really think in the future it will go bye-bye. True SMG paddle shifting (Which unfortunately is not what we are seeing here) is the way of the future. If exectued properly it is truly the best of both worlds and also outperforms.

Hey i could care less who likes an auto or a stick, i want some SMG, sooner rather than later hopefully. I drove a 360 with the F1 paddle shifting and yes i was already in love with the car but believe me when i tell you it is all of the challange of the stick and makes a significant perforance leap. The shift will kick you right in your ****, it rocks and the day it comes to the C6 is the day i place my order. Unfortunately i think we will be waiting for the C7 before we see it but who knows. The 6 speed auto alone is a good upgrade right now i suppose.

 

Personally it will be interesting to see what effect the 6 speed auto has on quarter mile times (to me there is more to life than 1/4 miles, but too many around here look at that as the measure of performance). The reason many of these other cars benefit from a 5 or 6 or 7 speed auto is engines with a very narrow power band. The benefit of the multiple gears it allows closer spacing on the gears, keeping the engine in it's power band longer... The Corvette has a incredible power band, it does not need the increased number of gears to keep it in the power band. I would not be surprised at all to see the 1/4 performance decrease as it will potentially have to shift an addtional one or two times through the quarter (unless it has an instaneous shift, unlikely). The real reason is satisfy all the people that have transmission envy.....

As to an SMG, (automated clutch, manumatic, what ever you want to call it) manual. It will be interesting to see if they do one, and what the impact will be on the rest of the drivetrain. We are looking at an engine that has more torque than many of the other cars that use it, and with the instaneous clutch, will put more stress on the rest of the drivetrain. At last years Lemans, there was a diesel powered prototype that really messed up the transmission due to the high torque (yes I know I am bringing up a race car, but as these transmissions have been around for a longer time in race cars and routinely go the entire race, it was interesting to see the problems the high torque car had with it....). Remember the issues too that the C5R had with the Hewland box, before going to the Xtrac.. That slip in the clutch as we engage it takes up some of the force (generally by reducing the the life of the clutch), now all that force will be instantly slammed into the rest of the drivetrain at every shift... May extend the life of the clutch disk, but what of the transmission, halfshafts, etc....