EDITED TO ADD:
See post #81 in this thread, it looks like the new standards are not what they appear to be.
Good news!

There have been several threads about the proposed CAFE rules, that were moved or locked. Let's skip the political talk, stay on the subject of how this may effect the C6 future.

Today's Chicago Tribune has an article about the standards and also had a graph from 1978-2009 of CAFE vs Actual mileage. It shows the actual mileage of cars in 2009 as being about 32.5 even though the current standard is only 27.5
The CAFE requirements will start increasing in 2011 but I can't find any numbers yet for the phase-in.
Problem is that GM, with lots of big cars, is probably below the industry 32.5, but they will need to hit 39 by 2016; that's a really big increase.
Another problem is that companies will be allowed to "bank" credit from previous years, so GM in particular will be tempted to start building up credits immediately.

I had hoped that the C6 would stay immune from the CAFE-itis for several more years, maybe even get a horsepower increase for the Gran Sport in 2011. Now, that looks unlikely.

GM doesn't have the money to do a lot of engine development for a low volume car. When they start worrying about how the C6 is affecting their CAFE, they can either bump up the MPG, which will probably mean less power; or raise the price so they don't sell as many but still make a profit on the line. Maybe a combination of the two.

So, my prediction is that the HP has peaked and will start a decline by 2012, maybe sooner. And/or there will be some BIG price increases.

The C6 will continue to improve in other areas once they get a little money for development; there will probably be a new interior for 2011 and a variation of the ZR1/F55 suspension on the Gran Sport in about 2012-2014. But for horsepower, it's the 1970's all over again.

The future C7 may be a really nice car, but it will be much different- smaller/lighter overall, with less interior room and less trunk space, performance is still a question mark. And, unless it's a re-badged Solstice or something like that, we won't see it for 6-10 years.

As a final note, I was holding out hope that the proposed standards would be modified/delayed/defeated. But since the car companies got their arms twisted to agreed with the changes, and a popular President backing the plan, this looks like a done deal.

Remember, let's keep the comments on mechanical issues; no bashing of the auto companies, unions, or politics.

 

After reading what CAFE actually means and how it's calculated, I think GM's smart play is to introduce a high MPG vehicle that will fit a family at a low price that's somewhat stylish and highly reliable.

The key for GM and all the others is that they need to lower the price on the high MPG cars to stretch out that CAFE as best they can (not talking the credits). This will give the low volume vehicles (Corvette, Camaro, etc), the room they need to not adversely affect the CAFE to any great degree.

Easier said than done I'm afraid.

 

Less weight may do the trick...

 

Since the numbers are for a corporate average, I suspect we may escape the brunt of the increase due to low volume.
By the same token, I expect to see a lot of engine sharing in the hi-po side of GM. Camaro and Corvette in particular.
One thing that bothers me is that GM dumped the Impala SS and Hi-po Caddy and all of Pontiac. The Impala and Caddy were low volume cars. Is the Corvette headed to a 4 or 6 cyl drivetrain?

 

I could really see the corvette go the way of lotus....low weight to make up for the smaller engine.

 

I'll throw my predication into this thread. I suspect that Z06 & ZR1 will be dropped for the 2011 model year.

I hope that a new 6 liter V8 will be developed to replace the LS3 that uses direct injection. I also suspect that all Vettes will go carbon fiber body panels in the next few years. This will raise the price of the Vette but allow it to go "green." Finally I hope that a 7 speed tranny will be developed with a ridiculously tall 7th gear for highway cruising. With these improvements I'm sure that Corvette could meat the CAFE requirements.

Since you requested that this thread stay mechanical I'll end my thread here lest I insult the liberal messiah.

 

The C7 will have to be lighter in weight, after that 35 mpg is not too hard.

 

RACN 1320-
A GM engineer at Bloomington Gold last year told one of our members that the ZR1 was always planned to have just a two year run, so I wouldn't read much into a cancellation of that car. It would help their numbers only a tiny bit because the volume is so low.

The Gran Sport looks to me to be an eventual replacement for the Z06, so I suspect you are right about that also. It just may happen sooner than GM has originally planned.

(Thanks for skipping the politics, the mods want to keep both liberal and conservatieve discussion in the political Forum)

 

My 07 LS2 was rated at 28mpg highway and I see 30+ in the real world after adding an intake/ported TB. 35mpg should be attainable with cleaner head porting, direct injection, less weight and possibly a gearing change. The new CAFE standards will seemingly have their biggest impact on German V8 performance cars which are generally heavy, have no low end, and rev way too high on the highway to get decent mileage.

 

Unfortunately, it's the official numbers that count; not what we can personally do with a modified car. Getting another 7 mpg with the current power looks impossible to me without a hugely expensive engine development program. GM doesn't have the money to do that and most of us wouldn't pay the price to buy one.
But you are probably correct about the big BMW and Mercedes performance cars, they are toast.
EDITED TO ADD:
Or will they be allowed to pay a "fine" and sell the cars anyway? I think that some of them are doing that right now. If the car costs $150k, then a $10k fine isn't a big deal.

 

I suspect GM will gather ideas from it's competitors (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, etc...) on how to address this issue in order to keep the Corvette around. I would think that the C7 would have to drastically change in appearance AND performance. Perhaps a Mid-Engine or maybe an AWD...who know's?

I just feel that the Corvette will be safe even with the CAFE standards. Think about it...this new rule isn't JUST for GM only. It's for ALL auto manufacturers. If Lambo, Ferrari, & Porsche can find a way, then so can GM!

 

While we disagree in part on this I think it might turn out to be a moot point. The Corvette in it's current form is not an insurmountable burden on Chevy's ability to meet the 35.5mpg fleet average even if were to stay in the 27-30mpg range. Revising mid-full size sedans and downsizing passenger SUVs/trucks are where the major cuts are going to have to be made.

 

I think we are all looking at smaller engines, with perhaps turbo(s) and lighter weight cars.

I've read that Porsche is coming back with the 4 cylinder Turbo engine for the Boxster / Cayman. I say coming back, because the 4 cylinder Turbo motors used in the 944S Turbos years ago were fantastic power plants.

I hope we never see the demise of the big American V8's....that would truly be a shame.

 

I think a direct injected 5.3 or 4.8 could do the trick when paired to the right highway gearing.

 

GM will have to meet a fleet-wide standard of 35.5 mpg on cars, and about 8 mpg less for trucks. The Corvette's production numbers are too small to significantly impact GM's total production volume. Trucks are where the biggest modifications are going to have to be made - it's GM's (and everyone else's) bread-and-butter. When GM was making a profit, it was because of trucks, not cars. Every small car GM sold cost it about $1,000, and the same is true of Toyota, Nissan, etc. The simple fact is that the reason all the foreign makers opened US plants was to make trucks. Trucks financed the losses on small cars - Americans are simply not going to voluntarily pay a premium price for a small car. That's "too European" for them. That means that the government will have to indefinitely subsidize the auto makers in order to get them to sell cars Americans don't want.

Frankly, this is nothing less than an unmitigated power grab and an economic disaster. But, you can't tell that to the current administration.

As far as the Corvette, it will get smaller and lighter, with a smaller engine. Lotus isn't a bad example. The days of the V-8 are coming to a quick end.

 

like stated above direct injection, a 7 speed trans and some lighter body parts would be a great start then maybe some higher tech lower rolling resistance tires

this is already a great platform just needs to be tweaked a little with some more technology

long live the vette as a "real car" not some downsized politically correct pod

 

That is what the Chevy Volt is suppose to be. Hopefully it will be a huge success for GM.

 

Colin Chapman (Lotus founder) had a standard phrase for making a car handle -- just add lightness! He allegedly fired an engineer once for including a fuel gauge in a car -- jprobably not actually true, but a good story.
I wanted a V8, I like the low and mid range torque. If I had wanted a Lotus-like car, I would have bought a Lotus.
I don't see GM faring well under this new scheme.

 

In order to make small cars more affordable, they will need to cost less to make. Just like pricing tiers, maybe what they need are worker tiers as well. Those working in plants making the sub-compact cars get paid less than those working on the luxury lines. Otherwise, they can only do this by importing.

 

I think direct injection is also something that will help efficiency.

It will be tricky navigating the regulations and producing cars that people want. People want the Vette, and if they muck up the car so that it is no longer representing why people buy it then sales will suffer, obviously.

Lots of work ahead for the engineers.