tomlink

There have been numerous discussions regarding the engine in the upcoming ME. Most assume we will see a new DOHC but it also makes a lot of sense that GM would go gas/electric hybrid for it's new halo vehicle.

Here are a few reasons why a SIDI DOHC powering the rear wheels and a pair of electric motors powering the front wheels is a likely format for the new ME Vette/Cadillac.

- Volt and Bolt sales have tanked - GM needs a showcase for its electric technology.

- Tesla has 450,000 pre-orders for its Model 3 - GM needs to play in that sandbox.

- GM announced it is going all electric - ME Vette electric hybrid technology would make for a lot of magazine covers.

- The ME layout is perfect for a gas rear mid-engine with an electric motor on each front wheel.

- ME needs to be able to significantly best C7 Z06/ZR1 and Viper ACR track times to be a legitimate showcase. Adding a pair of electric motors would allow the ME to put 1000+HP to the ground with all wheels driven.

- GM is investing XXL millions in electric technology and its Bowling Green plant. Mary Barra and staff would have needed to convince the GM Board that the benefits of the ME project would ripple throughout all of GM's products.

- Still leaves room/demand for a front-engine/rear drive C8 in the Corvette line up.

Any thoughts?

OnPoint

I think you bring up some good points. Of course, we'll soon see what they have in mind. Given the direction of the industry, it's probably only a matter of time until we see ICE/electric hybrid driveline, and as you note, such may be a bit easier to package in the ME, and it could provide some sex appeal from the marketing side.

I could see the ME debuting without this, while the strive to get the new platform right, and then see it added later.

When it comes to the point one can't buy an ICE-only Corvette, I will be done buying new Corvettes. I fully get the performance advantages of the ICE/electric hybrids, I just want my sports car to be ICE only (and I'm not even an old fart; I'm in my 40s). But I realize that day is coming.

tomlink

OnPoint,

No question that ICE/electrics are the future - as well as autonomous driving

However, I'm old school in the fact that to me, a proper Corvette is a front engine/rear drive V8 beast. That's been its DNA since 1955. Once that changes, I'll probably buy something else.

But I still appreciate a modern ME hybrid beast - just like that fact that I can appreciate a Porsche 918 - it enhances rather than dilutes the brand.

If the ME is a hybrid and under the Corvette (Zora) brand, I think it will be appreciated by all Vette fans - as long as there is still a front V8/rear drive C8 in the future.

sunsalem

Wait...you would pass one of these up?!?

JoesC5

You would lose more than you would gain.

People don't buy Corvettes because they are the most technologically advanced cars available.

Acura stated the their new NSX would be a "showcase" for Acura. The NSX is not selling very well and it is a hybrid sports car as you believe the new Corvette should be.

A whole lot of people buy a Corvette because it is a great Grand Tourer(ie: has enough cargo area to drive thousands of miles on a road trip without having to wash your underwear every night in your motel, instead of actually doing things not so mundane).

Because of the front electric motors etc, the NSX has a rear trunk with only 4 cu ft of cargo space(my C6 Z06 has 22.4 cu ft and I have NEVER had to wash clothes while on a road trip, some being two weeks covering 6,400 miles).

I will never buy a Corvette that I can't drive most anywhere while seeing all the great scenery the USA has to offer. Not interested in an expensive Toy that is only good to drive to Cars and Coffee on a Saturday morning.




Not much room in the front of a NSX to pack two weeks of clothes.

I bet any mid engine sports car from GM will have a trunk in the front instead of electric motors etc. Batteries also take up a lot of valuable space and add a lot of weight.

OnPoint

I have so far.

tomlink

Joe,
I don't particularly think a ME Corvette should be a gas/electric hybrid. I just think that, for reasons stated, it makes sense that is what GM may do with the ME.

NSX appears to be a hot mess. I think the target is a semi-mass production version of a Porsche 918.

I agree front trunk space would be eliminated. But look at the ME spy images. That rear-end looks like it could hold an engine, transmission - and a set of golf clubs

vetteLT193

The NSX isn't selling because:
--alienated the fan base. The new NSX is literally the opposite of the old one. Old one focused on light weight and simple design. New one is heavy and complex
--priced too high... with options it can be 200k
--all the complexity hasn't paid off to the best result. There are other, very similar, options at the same price point. The old NSX was a car that didn't have real competitors

And the biggie... the old NSX didn't sell well either. Averaged just over 1000 per year here in the US

It's likely Chevy will keep the front engine corvette for purists and offer a low production new model for the ultimate performance. But Chevy has proved they can hit that mark and they will.

sunsalem

Yeah, me too.

elegant

Maybe a hybrid with electric motors powering the front wheels to create the AWD version — but not in the first year of the ME.

NY09C6

I don’t think it will be standard. But likely an option at some point or standard on a higher end model.

Dominic Sorresso

There is a process in the universe called Evolution. Things, people, technology, processes evolve and change. U can't stop it. Formula 1 is hybrid. Oh and they don't have a manual transmission and the motor is behind the driver. Anyone want to argue that these are not perfomance cars?

JoesC5

Why don't you buy one of those Formula 1 performance cars and then take it to your local revenue department and try and get license tags for it and then try and get State Farm to insure it for the street.

Then try that with a plain ole Corvette with a front engine, a transmission, and none of that evolutionary hybrid crap on the car.

See which one you will be driving to work tomorrow(with tags and insurance).

In 1965 I was stationed in Wichita, KS while in the Air Force. I saw one of the 50 Chrysler gas turbine cars that they had distributed to private families for real world testing/evaluation, and a family in Wichita received one for 90 day testing(I believe that was the time period involved).

That was 52 years ago and the gas turbine was the latest "evolution" of the automobile at that time. Please tell me; How has the gas turbine evolved since 1965 for use in an automobile? Just because someone dreamed it up, doesn't automatically mean it will "evolve" into the next "sliced bread". Just because the gas turbine showed promise raccing in the 1967 Indy 500, doesn't mean it is the best design for a daily driver automobile in 2017. Did it?.

A F35 is pretty technologically advanced but is it practical for flying hundreds of people from New York to Vegas for the weekend?

theboom

For starters, gm currently only has plans for 18 additional hybrid models finalized. Around 10 of those models are set to go to china, leaving 8 to be spread about gm's divisions so 2-3 to Chevy, 2-3 to Cadillac, 2-3 to gmc, etc... So gm will stay largely gas powered for several more years. But yes they WILL go all electric in the future, ALL companies will with the exception of maybe just a couple, gm just hasn't said by what time.

With that being said, the corvette WILL get a hybrid model, its just a matter of time. If it went my way the grand sport would become a hybrid. Base corvette would be the entry level gas, grand sport and the z06 would get the wide body with the gs being the hybrid version and the z06 to continue to be the high performance model. The hybrid would allow the gs to get the slight power bump that everybody wanted over the base stingray while still being able to use the base motor, but total power would still be less than the z06. I think the mid engine car should use the same lineup as the one I just mentioned.

Dominic Sorresso

So Joe, you would rather drive a **** poorly built 53 Corvette w an asthmatic straight 6 and a 2 speed slush box? How about a McLaren? How about a LaFerrari? The fact is that evolution continues to demonstrate itself in how our cars and other perfomance vehicles ultimately incorporate advancements that we originally see in competition. If the F1 is the pinnacle of competitive perfromance, then why would we not want to experience that in our own vehicles? And kudos to the manufacturers for bringing out vehicles that bring that level of advancement to daily street drivers.

sunsalem

UNLESS it is a Cadillac.
IMO, it would make perfect sense for that particular brand.

Good point.
Also, the current F1 hybrid cars are faster than ever before.
AND they are doing it with 1.6L V6 Turbo ICE that burns 1/3 less fuel than the previous spec 2.4L NA V8s.
That's pretty amazing IMO.

BTW, Corvette Forum has an F1 Discussion Thread.
Feel free to drop in and join the conversation any time:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ad-2017-a.html

Make it something like one of these 3, please :


VERY interesting idea.
I hope GM read that.

VETTE-NV

I suppose it's impossible for you to ever make a post that doesn't somehow refer to the ultimate greatness of one or all of your old Corvettes, but please quit saying that your Z06 has 22.4 cu ft. of storage space. My C6 was just about the same as my C7.

What color is the sky in your world?

JoesC5

Contact GM...
They are the ones that say the C6 coupe has 22.4 cu ft, the C7 convertible has 10.5 cu ft top up and 5.1 cu ft top down.

GM also says the C7 coupe has 15 cu ft and the C7 convertible has 10 cu ft.

Not my made up numbers, but GM's factual numbers.

In my world where the sky is bright blue, a box 12" X 12" X 12" in size equals 1 cu ft, no matter how you measure it.

GM says the C7 coupe has less cargo space than the C6 because it's true.

Funny how GM measures the C6 convertible and it comes up at 10.5 cu ft and then GM measures the C7 convertible and it comes up at 10 cu ft, yet the C7 coupe is completely different from the C6 coupe(15 cu ft vs 22.4 cu ft. Do you think they used a different tape measure where an inch is not really an inch when measuring the C7?

My C6 coupe has more cargo space than my friend's C7 coupe. I can pack a lot more stuff just behind the rear bulkhead in my C6 coupe, than you can in your C7. Plus it's a hell of a lot easier to load and unload stuff that is packed at the extreme front of the rear hatch next to the bulkhead. The shape of the hatch cover and the 1/4 windows in the C7 so cut down on the space in the rear on the coupe.

But, both the C6 and the C7 has more cargo space than the mid engine NSX, that I was comparing them to. To ME, that is important, and since more people drive their Corvettes on the street than on a race track, space in the rear is a very important item when deciding which car to buy. A mid engine car with 4 cu ft or a front engine car with 15+ cu ft of cargo space?

sunsalem

VETTE-NV

I believe you should acknowledge moderator Zymurgy who has informed you that that GM now measures the usable storage space differently. I've owned five C6's, including two coupes. I now own a C7 coupe. They are virtually the same. If there is even a minor difference, it's certainly not 7.4 cu ft.

I guess in your world, things are actually smaller than you say they are.