GM Inside News: New Details Emerge on the 2014 Corvette
11-12-2011, 08:32 PM
#41
Racer
All car makers have that one model that they put everything they have into it to show everyone, hey look what we can do. For GM it has always been the Corvette, the one car that does not share it's chassis or platform with any other model (exept the XLR and that was short lived anyway) the one car that comes out with the latest tech first and then later trickles down to the other models. If they just improve on the C6 and leave the platform the way it is then it will just be the same old same old, and you may just as well buy a preowned C6 with low miles and save a bundle and not worry too much about missing anything. We will just have to wait and see, I just hope that GM can have bragging rights with the new gen and not simply have people looking close and hard to see if it's a C6 or a C7. A new gen Corvette should have even people who know nothing about Corvettes know in a glance that it is a new generation Corvette and not an older one.
11-13-2011, 02:38 AM
#42
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I disagree. Non-car people can't tell the difference between the 911 generations, but the latest greatest 911 always generates a ton of attention and refreshes sales.
11-13-2011, 02:51 PM
#43
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As a new member here I hate to throw my .02 in on this but I feel some are not looking at this the right way. So here goes. LOL
Performance and Quality. That is what people want in a sports car these days. I think the beating the Corvette takes in the press over it's interior has an effect on sales especially when some others are constantly improving their's making the gap in perceived and real quality even wider.
I feel that GM's bail out has played a part in reducing sales also, but to a lesser extent than some might feel. The fact that the Corvette competes as well as it does on performance is what keeps it from becoming a sales disaster this late in it's model run. People love a winner and will forgive some sins if it can stomp a mudhole in other cars in it's performance class. However, I feel for the Corvette to take that next step it needs to continue to improve it's performance on all models so that it stays near the top, better to have a model that is ON top even if it costs a ton. The guys who want the big dog will often buy a lesser model to be an owner of "the big dog" even if their particular car doesn't have the big dog's options. Cool factor by association let's say.
And to appease the less racy who will settle for a base model let's make sure the looks and FEEL of the car make it seem to cost more than it does....in and out.
If you do those things I guarantee you no one will care whether the chassis is new or twenty years old as long as it does what it's supposed to do.
Personally I'd like to see them go to a coil over type setup by removing the stock leaf springs. Disconnecting the two wheels sharing the leaf spring will enable them to once and for all settle the skittishness at the limit all C5-C6 Vettes have from the back and really dial in the chassis to be even more than it is now.
Performance and Quality. That is what people want in a sports car these days. I think the beating the Corvette takes in the press over it's interior has an effect on sales especially when some others are constantly improving their's making the gap in perceived and real quality even wider.
I feel that GM's bail out has played a part in reducing sales also, but to a lesser extent than some might feel. The fact that the Corvette competes as well as it does on performance is what keeps it from becoming a sales disaster this late in it's model run. People love a winner and will forgive some sins if it can stomp a mudhole in other cars in it's performance class. However, I feel for the Corvette to take that next step it needs to continue to improve it's performance on all models so that it stays near the top, better to have a model that is ON top even if it costs a ton. The guys who want the big dog will often buy a lesser model to be an owner of "the big dog" even if their particular car doesn't have the big dog's options. Cool factor by association let's say.
And to appease the less racy who will settle for a base model let's make sure the looks and FEEL of the car make it seem to cost more than it does....in and out.
If you do those things I guarantee you no one will care whether the chassis is new or twenty years old as long as it does what it's supposed to do.
Personally I'd like to see them go to a coil over type setup by removing the stock leaf springs. Disconnecting the two wheels sharing the leaf spring will enable them to once and for all settle the skittishness at the limit all C5-C6 Vettes have from the back and really dial in the chassis to be even more than it is now.
11-13-2011, 03:11 PM
#44
Le Mans Master
Here is the original 1965 911.
And the 2011 911.
It's obvious how the the car has changed in styling details, but it is basically the same look for the past 46 years. The refinement in the car's details have been phenomenal however.
11-13-2011, 04:46 PM
#46
Personally I'd like to see them go to a coil over type setup by removing the stock leaf springs. Disconnecting the two wheels sharing the leaf spring will enable them to once and for all settle the skittishness at the limit all C5-C6 Vettes have from the back and really dial in the chassis to be even more than it is now.
11-13-2011, 11:06 PM
#47
Le Mans Master
For GM it has always been the Corvette, the one car that does not share it's chassis or platform with any other model (exept the XLR and that was short lived anyway) the one car that comes out with the latest tech first and then later trickles down to the other models.
BTW, I see calls for coilovers the same way I see calls for overhead cams -- technology for conformity's sake as opposed to genuine improvement.
.Jinx
11-14-2011, 02:59 AM
#48
Le Mans Master
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A lot of people think my 2003 Z06 is new. Enough said about how most people don't know much about cars.
But the truth is that GM knows the C7 has to be different enough to keep up sales. I didn't buy a C6 because there's almost no real difference between my C5 and a C6. Headlights and a flat ***... Nah. Not a big enough change.
The C7 needs to be a revolution in every fashion and GM knows it.
But the truth is that GM knows the C7 has to be different enough to keep up sales. I didn't buy a C6 because there's almost no real difference between my C5 and a C6. Headlights and a flat ***... Nah. Not a big enough change.
The C7 needs to be a revolution in every fashion and GM knows it.
100%
12-04-2011, 10:44 PM
#50
Melting Slicks
This article makes me sad. 
I was hoping for a more radical design and definitely for the CUE system. Ah well, a lot can change in a year.
Jim
===
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...rolet-corvette
Despite rumors to the contrary, it’s now beginning to appear like the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette (C7) will simply be an evolutionary step from the current C6, both in terms of styling and engineering. Perhaps that’s a good thing, since GM knows it can’t radically change the American icon that’s served as a halo car for Chevrolet for over five decades.
According to GM Inside News (GMI), the next Corvette will bear a more “European looking” design, but without significant restyling from the current C6 model. If GMI is correct, reports of a split-window rear design (as seen on GM’s Stingray concept) are incorrect, and the C7 will carry on with the same rear-window styling as current C6 models.
Furthermore, despite rumors of a fuel-saving 5.5-liter V-8 base engine in the C7, GMI maintains that the car will soldier on with a 6.2-liter V-8, and will be offered with a seven-speed manual transmission.
Perhaps the biggest changes will come in the interior, since GM is tired of hearing complaints about the Corvette’s cheap interior feel. All C7 Corvette models are said to get an interior that emphasizes higher quality materials, as well as featuring an infotainment display in the center stack with a redundant display in the gauge cluster.
The new Corvette won’t likely receive a capacitive touch console as shown in the Stingray concept and implemented in the Cadillac CUE system. Expect more conventional controls, albeit with better perceived quality than current version cars.
The C7 Corvette should launch in mid-2013 as a 2014 model, which means one thing: the rumors about the car’s design are a long ways from done.
Pictured above is a test-mule for the upcoming 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, with the new model's running gear hidden beneath the body of a current C6. For more details, click here.
I was hoping for a more radical design and definitely for the CUE system. Ah well, a lot can change in a year.
Jim
===
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...rolet-corvette
Despite rumors to the contrary, it’s now beginning to appear like the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette (C7) will simply be an evolutionary step from the current C6, both in terms of styling and engineering. Perhaps that’s a good thing, since GM knows it can’t radically change the American icon that’s served as a halo car for Chevrolet for over five decades.
According to GM Inside News (GMI), the next Corvette will bear a more “European looking” design, but without significant restyling from the current C6 model. If GMI is correct, reports of a split-window rear design (as seen on GM’s Stingray concept) are incorrect, and the C7 will carry on with the same rear-window styling as current C6 models.
Furthermore, despite rumors of a fuel-saving 5.5-liter V-8 base engine in the C7, GMI maintains that the car will soldier on with a 6.2-liter V-8, and will be offered with a seven-speed manual transmission.
Perhaps the biggest changes will come in the interior, since GM is tired of hearing complaints about the Corvette’s cheap interior feel. All C7 Corvette models are said to get an interior that emphasizes higher quality materials, as well as featuring an infotainment display in the center stack with a redundant display in the gauge cluster.
The new Corvette won’t likely receive a capacitive touch console as shown in the Stingray concept and implemented in the Cadillac CUE system. Expect more conventional controls, albeit with better perceived quality than current version cars.
The C7 Corvette should launch in mid-2013 as a 2014 model, which means one thing: the rumors about the car’s design are a long ways from done.
Pictured above is a test-mule for the upcoming 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, with the new model's running gear hidden beneath the body of a current C6. For more details, click here.
This article sounds like Pooh Pooh on a stick!
12-06-2011, 12:02 AM
#51
Burning Brakes
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If the article is correct and GM stays with the same platform as the current C6 there is no doubt that Corvette sales will remain flat and nosedive a few years into the new gen. Lets face it folks, the current platform has been around since 1997 and it has been improved upon but it's nothing new. All gens leading upto the C5 has been all new designs, all new cars, all new engines. The C6 is a great car but all they did was improve upon the C5 platform, IMO it is not a new generation but more of an improvement from the previous years car. The C4 was a breakthrough in 84, the C5 rewrote the book on what GM could do with the right people aboard and produced a 100K car for less than half that price and guess what, the masses lined up for them when the C5 was introduced. Thats what GM has to do with the C7. It has to be an all new design/platform or the people will simply will not line up for them and sales will be flat, no doubt about it.
Take a look at the 5th gen camaro. Night and day difference from the 4th gen camaro.
We shall see come 2013.
12-22-2011, 07:54 AM
#52
I'm good with the gradual improvements and don't want to see radical changes. Improve where they can ie. interior, HP etc. but why do a radical change to a great car that has evolved over 60 years to where it is today?
12-22-2011, 08:14 PM
#54
Le Mans Master
12-22-2011, 08:30 PM
#55
Le Mans Master
As a new member here I hate to throw my .02 in on this but I feel some are not looking at this the right way. So here goes. LOL
Performance and Quality. That is what people want in a sports car these days. I think the beating the Corvette takes in the press over it's interior has an effect on sales especially when some others are constantly improving their's making the gap in perceived and real quality even wider.
I feel that GM's bail out has played a part in reducing sales also, but to a lesser extent than some might feel. The fact that the Corvette competes as well as it does on performance is what keeps it from becoming a sales disaster this late in it's model run. People love a winner and will forgive some sins if it can stomp a mudhole in other cars in it's performance class. However, I feel for the Corvette to take that next step it needs to continue to improve it's performance on all models so that it stays near the top, better to have a model that is ON top even if it costs a ton. The guys who want the big dog will often buy a lesser model to be an owner of "the big dog" even if their particular car doesn't have the big dog's options. Cool factor by association let's say.
And to appease the less racy who will settle for a base model let's make sure the looks and FEEL of the car make it seem to cost more than it does....in and out.
If you do those things I guarantee you no one will care whether the chassis is new or twenty years old as long as it does what it's supposed to do.
Personally I'd like to see them go to a coil over type setup by removing the stock leaf springs. Disconnecting the two wheels sharing the leaf spring will enable them to once and for all settle the skittishness at the limit all C5-C6 Vettes have from the back and really dial in the chassis to be even more than it is now.
Performance and Quality. That is what people want in a sports car these days. I think the beating the Corvette takes in the press over it's interior has an effect on sales especially when some others are constantly improving their's making the gap in perceived and real quality even wider.
I feel that GM's bail out has played a part in reducing sales also, but to a lesser extent than some might feel. The fact that the Corvette competes as well as it does on performance is what keeps it from becoming a sales disaster this late in it's model run. People love a winner and will forgive some sins if it can stomp a mudhole in other cars in it's performance class. However, I feel for the Corvette to take that next step it needs to continue to improve it's performance on all models so that it stays near the top, better to have a model that is ON top even if it costs a ton. The guys who want the big dog will often buy a lesser model to be an owner of "the big dog" even if their particular car doesn't have the big dog's options. Cool factor by association let's say.
And to appease the less racy who will settle for a base model let's make sure the looks and FEEL of the car make it seem to cost more than it does....in and out.
If you do those things I guarantee you no one will care whether the chassis is new or twenty years old as long as it does what it's supposed to do.
Personally I'd like to see them go to a coil over type setup by removing the stock leaf springs. Disconnecting the two wheels sharing the leaf spring will enable them to once and for all settle the skittishness at the limit all C5-C6 Vettes have from the back and really dial in the chassis to be even more than it is now.
I agree with you. History already shows why the 1963-1967 (C2) generation remains the most sought after, highest resale value, and best liked was the car was a complete revolution from the solid axle, low power, outdated design. When the 63 was first shown it actually made headlines of small town papers, it was so radical, futuristic, and it had INDEPENDENT REAR SUSPENSION, RADICAL design especially for the Corvette, a whole new track chassis, and the body design, it was a rocket ship. The Engine really did not change a whole lot, that came a couple years later, as Chevy Engineering put all of its work into the Chassis, suspension, interior, and the body design, with revolving head lights, and all its styling cues from European cars. Not even to mention that SPLIT WINDOW that gave it the Italian Sports Car look.
Point is, NO other generation caused such a big stir, because Chevrolet made it so radically different. Remember the C3 still had C3 Chassis, and the C4 was considered a big change, but cars during that era lacked horsepower, and more people were buying Supras or Datsuns 280Z then any other cars. C5 made the biggest brewha, and the C6, well most called it the C5.5.... So GM MUST make this radical to be successful...
12-22-2011, 09:31 PM
#56
Instructor
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more “European looking” design, Are you kiddin me!!
If you want a Eurocar go to Europe and buy one! Make a car worthy of being of being labeled made in the USA. And hide those headlights...
If you want a Eurocar go to Europe and buy one! Make a car worthy of being of being labeled made in the USA. And hide those headlights...
12-23-2011, 02:35 AM
#57
Le Mans Master
It should be improved upon, not tossed in favor of conventional tech that doesn't solve any real problems, or worse, to pursue the 1970s mid-engine craze.
12-23-2011, 06:27 AM
#58
Melting Slicks
Corvette needs to have the ***** like Dodge did when they released the Viper . That styling was very bold and exotic . They gave it much more power than the vette too.
If Corvette could be that aggressive with styling and power , it would bring in many new people to the brand.
If Corvette could be that aggressive with styling and power , it would bring in many new people to the brand.
12-23-2011, 06:29 AM
#59
Melting Slicks
Corvette should be as American as possible . Big , bold , and powerful
Forget euro
12-23-2011, 07:25 AM
#60
Le Mans Master
I am using the C2 as an example of the last time the Corvette cause such a big design revolution in the car business... Helps not to read selectively.
Like it our not CORVETTE has alway derived its style from Europe. Following taken from Chevrolet docuements on History of the Corvette....
"1963 Chevrolet Corvette news, pictures, and information"
"In 1963, Corvette introduced its all new Corvette Coupé and Convertible models called the Sting Rays. The car incorporated a boat-tail taper that was common of sporting roadster of the 1930s. The back featured a Bugatti Atlantique and Bertone BAT inspired split rear-window. This styling was replaced in 1964 with a single piece because of drivers complaining about visibility problems. The headlights were concealed in the front and would 'pop' out when in use."
If proof is in picures then visit this site....
http://www.kasravi.com/cmu/tec452/history/Americans.htm
It may be America's Sports car, but its roots like many of us come from Europe, and the Corvette Team STILL uses many European Design cues and its safe to say the C7 will have its European flair also....
What is considered American today is really GLOBAL.... But those are the facts.
Last edited by 1KULC7; 12-23-2011 at 07:38 AM.