Exciting news from GM! The all new mid-engine Corvette C8 was announced publicly and you can read all about this spectacular new vehicle here:
TUSTIN, Calif. — One of the biggest challenges for the eighth-generation Corvette — the first production model with the engine behind the driver — doesn’t have anything to do with how fast the car can reach 60 mph or carve up a corner.
The 2020 Corvette Stingray looks to be one of the most technically advanced vehicles General Motors has built since it tested the world’s first fuel cell vehicle in 1966 and, five years later, built the propulsion and suspension system for the Lunar Rover that drove on the moon.
The new Corvette — introduced here Thursday — is a barometer of GM engineering in an era of rapidly changing technology. It will provide a strong test of GM’s product development system, its testing and validation methods, and its quality control processes.
If the Corvette launches cleanly with no technical issues from adopting GM’s new wire-reducing digital electrical architecture, its advanced lightweight, mixed-material chassis that uses die-cast aluminum parts made in an engine factory, the electric brakes and other innovations, it could bode well for GM as it pushes closer to production of fully autonomous vehicles, which will share some of the same technologies with the new Corvette.
And most important, the retooled Corvette’s computer systems, and the speed at which they communicate internally and externally, will determine how seamlessly GM transitions to autonomous vehicles and the vast amount of data processing they require.
Nuts and bolts
GM will begin producing the 2020 Corvette late this year at its Bowling Green, Ky., plant. Since 2015, GM has invested $439 million to retool the factory to build the midengine Corvette. In addition to new production equipment, the plant is equipped with a new paint shop and a low-volume engine production facility called the Performance Build Center, which was previously in suburban Detroit.
“Corvette has always represented the pinnacle of innovation and boundary pushing at GM,” GM President Mark Reuss said in a statement. “The traditional front engine reached the limit of its performance, necessitating the new layout. In terms of comfort and fun, it still looks and feels like a Corvette, but it drives better than any vehicle in Corvette history.”
They include:
All-new interior
The 2020 Stingray’s midengine configuration gave GM design chief Mike Simcoe’s team the opportunity to make the biggest changes to the Corvette — inside and out — since the car was introduced in 1953.
Simcoe says the new exterior design is inspired by fighter jets and Formula One race cars. But the car’s aerodynamic shape also helped dictate the interior’s styling. First, because there is no engine between the front wheels, the cockpit has been moved forward by 16.5 inches over the outgoing Corvette. Ultrathin air conditioning vents help lower the instrument cluster, which contains a 12-inch reconfigurable display.
A long strip of buttons, between the seats on the center console, controls the seats, HVAC system and other items. Customers can choose from three types of seats, those designed for street driving to full-on competition seats for track use. The interior is decked out in cut-and-sew leather, real metal inlays, stainless steel speaker grilles and optional carbon-fiber trim.Unlike many other two-seat cars, the new Corvette has what appears to be reasonable cargo room — and that could prove to be a major advantage over cramped roadsters and coupes battling for sales in a market that is shifting to SUVs, pickups and crossovers. The car has two trunks and can transport two golf bags or luggage. Cargo room totals 12.6 cubic feet.
Big change
An all-new Corvette is rare. For most of the 66 years since the car debuted, it has been built basically the same way — with the engine up front, the transmission in the middle and drive axle in the rear — and with the body mounted to the frame. There have been several iterations of the car’s underpinnings over the years, and GM has tinkered a few times with a midengine layout, but none ever made production.
Despite the major technical changes, there’s no guarantee the car will be a profit-making vehicle for GM. Sports car sales have collapsed. Even inexpensive two-seaters, such as the Mazda MX-5 Miata, have struggled. Through June, Porsche has sold just 4,620 911s in the U.S. The budget Porsche 718 has fared even worse with 2,155 sold through June. The highest-volume Porsche is a crossover, the Macan, with U.S. sales of 9,711 this year.
“Corvette mobilizes a passionate fan base but it’s a small group and they don’t necessarily represent the next generation of Chevrolet customers,” said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst with Edmunds. “Moving to a midengine format shows Chevy isn’t afraid to take risks to keep Corvette relevant, but you have to wonder if it will be enough to excite younger buyers.”
Chevrolet dealers in the U.S. sold 9,731 Corvettes in the first half of the year, down roughly 5 percent over the same 2018 period.
Affordable?
Though final pricing has not been set, and the car can now be reserved, Reuss said Thursday the 2020 Corvette will be priced below $60,000 USD
Suburban Detroit Chevrolet dealer Paul Stanford of Les Stanford Chevrolet in Dearborn, Mich., has collected 160 deposits for the 2020 Corvette through Wednesday.
He said the car has the potential to draw buyers from the Porsche 911 and other more expensive sports cars. Stanford believes GM will price the new model within a few thousand dollars of the outgoing model — $56,995 with destination — keeping it a bargain among high-performance sports cars.
“They are going to make it affordable,” said Stanford, who is on the Chevrolet dealer advisory board. “That’s hugely important to the everyday buyer who we’ve come to know. The Corvette has always been a value proposition in the market. I am honestly thinking we are going to see improved sales.
“I’ve seen the car,” he said Wednesday. “It’s mind-blowing.”
Les Stanford Chevrolet was among the nation’s top three dealers in Corvette sales last year.
And for the first time in Corvette history, the car will be manufactured in right-hand drive, opening up exports markets in such places as Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia. That tactic has worked well for Ford, which boosted volumes of the latest Mustang by adding right-hand drive versions.
Following the 2019 CT6-V (initially known as the CT6 V-Sport), they grow the V-Series family with even more levels of performance, while preserving the lineage established by the original V-Series lineup introduced in 2004.
“The new V-Series sedan lineup defines modern sophistication by combining luxury appointments with thoughtful technology and athletic refinement for the discerning enthusiast,” said Brandon Vivian, Cadillac executive chief engineer. “We are inviting even more customers into the V-Series family by adding a new level of elevated performance between our Sport models and the ultimate, high-performance track capability that the V-Series has grown to represent.”
The first-ever CT4 and recently introduced CT5 represent Cadillac’s realigned sedan portfolio, characterized by new proportions, innovative technologies and more appearance and performance choices. Each is built on Cadillac’s award-winning rear-wheel-drive Alpha architecture, with the V-Series models developed to deliver the ultimate blend of performance, presence and road-going refinement.
Both share the latest standard V-Series performance technologies, including Magnetic Ride Control 4.0, which is tuned specifically for V models to enhance comfort without sacrificing performance-oriented responsiveness, and drive modes that include new V-Mode personalization. Each model is available in RWD or AWD and features a 10-speed automatic transmission, Brembo front brakes with eBoost electronic assist and a limited-slip rear differential on Cadillac CT4-V and electronic limited-slip differential on Cadillac CT5-V.
Cadillac’s exclusive Super Cruise, the first true hands-free driver assistance feature for the freeway, is available on more than 130,000 miles of limited-access freeways in the U.S. and Canada. It will be available on both new V-Series models.
“The new lineup expands the V-Series ethos, drawing more customers into the Cadillac Performance family, and the newest Vs are focused on elevated athleticism and luxurious refinement for customers wanting a dynamic daily drive,” said Mark Reuss, GM president. “And this is only the beginning of the V family. Cadillac’s passion for performance shines on a racetrack. Stay tuned.”
The first-ever Cadillac CT5-V builds on the precision-focused details of the all-new luxury sedan introduced in early 2019 to offer elevated road performance and an engaging driving experience.
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