When the Chevy Volt concept was first unveiled it sometimes referred to as an electric Camaro referring to its very sporty design. In the move to production, that sportiness was scaled back somewhat in favor of more widespread appeal.
The Chevrolet Corvette, however, remains GM’s iconic lynchpin sports car. It is powered by a very highly spirited line of V8 gas engines, though new CAFE rules regulating a fleet average of 35.5 MPG by 2016 have some pundits wondering if the powerhouse’s days could be numbered.
Not so says Tom Stephens, GM vice chairman in charge of product development. In fact, Stephens doesn’t even think the V-8 has to go.
“I don’t believe that we need to do a six-cylinder engine in a Corvette at this time,” he said.
Down the road, he plans to keep the car alive no matter what it takes even if that means hybridization.
“We will only do a hybrid if that is what is required to maintain the vehicle,” says Stephens.
GM has plans to keep the car viable for the near future without resorting to hybridization. “I think we have a pretty good plan right now that probably will not require a hybrid in the near term,” he says. These efforts will include reducing the car’s weight, using direction injection, cylinder deactivation, variable valve timing and low rolling resistance tires.
The base 2010 Corvette uses a 430-hp, 6.2-liter V-8 that gets 16 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.
Looking at the layout of the Fisker Karma, for example, with its 400 horses and sub-6 second 0 to 60, creating a plugin Corvette could certainly be a possibility. Even so, GM denies it even has such a project on the drawing board.
We have “no plans for a hybrid Corvette at this time,” says GM spokesperson Rob Peterson.
Source (Automotive News, sub required)
This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at 6:04 am and is filed under Hybrid. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (6:06 am)Now this would be a cool vehicle! But more horses than I would ever need.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (6:12 am)Now there is some hope for the high performance gear heads in the crowd. Was there a recent story about Porsche considering a similar setup?
While GM needs to come up with saleable, profitable solutions for larger segments of the car-buying public, still good to see Chevy / GM having enough breathing room to look that far down the road in a specialty segment.
Nice shot of the 630 HP ZR1 going full bore.
+5
Sep 22nd, 2009 (6:18 am)With the instant torque of an electric motor, why not consider this?
I’m thinking the Corvette could have a much higher acceleration speed than it currently does.
Then again, I also think Voltec should be in every car they make.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (6:50 am)“GM has plans to keep the car viable for the near future without resorting to hybridization.”
RESORTING TO HYBRIDIZATION?????
It does not sound like this guy is with the program!!!!!
Going Voltec is not a bad thing! Staying with the old technology is a no win plan for the entire planet.
Note to Mr. Stephens – A really cool looking car really does not need 430 HP and less than six seconds for 0-60 to haul my butt back and forth to work…………. Put a vette type body on a Volt chassis, keep the price real, and I guarantee you will sell more than you can produce. Most of us love the looks of the Tesla and th Fiskar, we just can’t afford it!!!!
NPNS
Sep 22nd, 2009 (6:51 am)5 years is plenty of time for the Corvette to be brought up to the 2016 requirements, and, with everything that is going for the Corvette even now, fuel efficiency once at cruise speed ought not be a problem at all, from what technologies I see going into it even nowadays.
Voltec ought to grow into other types of GM vehicles, including light trucks, it seems to me, after there is sufficient production for Voltec within autos for the demand I believe is already there.
On the other hand, demand for Voltec in autos might never be satisfied for all the various motivations there are for the public to demand it, completely exclusive of the price for gas.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (6:59 am)If I were GM, I would consider taking Corvette to the next level as an All-Electric. It would run head to head with Tesla and Fisker, not to mention the traditional gas-driven competitors out there. I would have to imagine since Corvettes are so light that it would be screaming fast. As for the cost, Corvette customers are accustomed to high price tags, therefore, I don’t think the expense would scare the enthusiasts away. A Corvette EV may even attract more customers looking for an EV sports car from a ubiquitous nationwide franchise like Chevrolet, where they can find ample numbers of dealerships to service the car–something Tesla lacks at this point.
I think it’s worth GM’s time to at least study the idea.
-7
Sep 22nd, 2009 (6:59 am)Just put the thing on a serious diet and give it a choice of V6 engines, one with compression and one without.
+2
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:04 am)A Corvette should be a 2 seat, V8, sports car, period!!! Use the Volt to commute with and a Vette to have fun on the weekends.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:08 am)prioritize pickup trucks to voltec structure, thats the way to go…imagine, MINI VOLT for my children, VOLT for my wife and PICK-UP VOLT for muah!!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:08 am)9.
Guy Incognito Says:
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:08 am
Don’t even bother.
+4
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:16 am)Jim I, people who buy the Vette, buy it for various reasons.
Speed.
Coolness
Looks
Raw power
Compensation for something small (Just joking on this one)
Putting a V6 in a Corvette….well….that would just suck.
Putting the Corvette body on the Volt chassis would ruin the Vette.
The Corvette is powerful and fast. The Volt, the way GM is making it, will be lethargic next to the Corvette. People who buy a Vette don’t want lethargic.
My 2¢
+2
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:17 am)Agreed. We need a pickup a truck. A 4×4 pickup truck.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:26 am)All Chevy would have to do is convert it into a hydrogen ICE vehicle, and it could generate any hp and torque they desired without worrying about mileage.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:26 am)I think cost is the reason they may not want to go electric. The Corvette is probably the cheapest horsepower you can buy ($48K for the coupe). The only exception may be the G8 (but who knows the future of that car).
That being said. Im sure there are enthusiasts & Corvette club memebers who would buy a GM Tesla/Corvette, just to say they have one.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:28 am)A local service station owner has 2 Corvettes. One is about 7 years old. The other is brand new. This guy loves gasoline snorting V-8 engines. Without asking I know he wouldn’t go for a gasoline V-6 or electric drive in a new Vette.
=D~
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:32 am)I dont expect to see Voltec going into the Corvette. If anything, it would probably just be a pure BEV. I’d expect the Converj to be greenlighted first.
In the interview yesterday, Tom Stephens said GM is looking at other non-conventional means of transportation. I wish they would forget the Puma/Segway and partner up with this Candian company. I saw their T-Rex on a supercar TV show yesterday. Talk about fun. I’d love to see an electric and/or hybrid one.
http://www.campagnamotors.com/
+10
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:41 am)Mr. Stephens comments reflect the fundamental weakness in the public’s understanding of electric cars and, it seems, that of Mr. Stephens also. That is, they see electric cars as a niche that supplies weak cars to timid people. Thinking this way is a fundamental error.
Too bad. After they lose a generation of sports-car buyers to Tesla and Fisker cars A, B, and C, which will blow away Corvettes in terms of styling and also performance, gm will have to try to catch up and recapture some of their lost sales and glamour.
+5
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:47 am)Sounds awfully like when they decided to abandon hybrid tech, and had to play catch up afterwards (which they’re still doing).
Insanity: noun – Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
With any luck, the completion of the Volt will change the electric car misconceptions for the majority of Americans, including Mr. Stephens.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (8:05 am)“Putting a V6 in a Corvette”
We used to say that is putting a pu$$y engine ina manly car…
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (8:07 am)I agree those are very cool looking car/motorcycle vehicles. If they made an electric one with an enclosed cabin so I don’t get wet in the rain I would be all about it.
+2
Sep 22nd, 2009 (8:19 am)Agreed!
I owned (& LOVED!) a “poor mans” Corvette —a Z28 Camaro with a big V8, the one that was used in all IROC racing for several years. So I heartily agree that GM needs a car that has “horns” (the kind devils have) to counterbalance a car with a “halo”….btw, Bob Lutz recently admitted that the Volt actually is GM’s “halo” car.
/ But GM, note that Mercedes’ S500 Vision Plug-in just shown at Frankfurt is a devilish performer that at >72 mpg & 0-60 in 5.5 sec can credibly “hang a halo over its horns”!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (8:34 am)Vettes have alway been too low to the ground imo. I run over armadillos, turtles, birds, foxes and occasional deer on the interstates with my pickup almost daily. Try that with a corvette and be prepared for a hefty repair bill.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (8:40 am)I’m looking forward to the day when a Corvette will receive a wry smile because it still is one of those dinosaurs that guzzle gas and as such are curiosities. Nothing against a rich person’s toys – they’ll always be around. The future rubber-burners will be electric – and won’t necessarily remain available only to the wealthy. JMO
Sorry I missed the last couple days – I was AFK.
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (8:54 am)“We will only do a hybrid if that is what is required to maintain the vehicle,” says Stephens.
As a Corvette owner, that sounds like he is saying: You can take my V8 over my cold dead body.”
If the government were somehow able to ‘regulate’ the V8 engine OUT of existance (it’ll never happen, skippy) , then the legendary Corvette SHOULD end and take its place in history. That would certainly boost the value of mine (and everyone else’s).
Of course, I also think Chevy should bring back the “Stingray” nameplate. If there were an ‘all-electric’ Chevy to compete against Tesla and Fisker, that should be the one.
Can someone tell me how I could reserve VIN number “007″ ?
+4
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:03 am)Yeah, I don’t like the whole “settle for a hybrid if all else fails” attitude. Stephens may not have meant it as a knock on hybrid cars’ performance (he was probably thinking of cost), but that’s how it came across. Electric drive, as all on this site know, is bringing a revolution in high-performance vehicles. 10 years down the road similarly priced EVs and EREVs will be eating the current ZR1 for breakfast. Now while personally I prefer for auto companies to focus on efficiency and don’t want a hot rod, I am not the general public. I think it would really help for GM to keep talking about the electric drive as a boon for performance and get people away from their old stereotypes of EVs as clunky econoboxes. While most people will end up buying a non-sportscar, many -especially those with an XY chromosome pair- will be drawn to EVs by having the high-performance “sexy” vehicles change their minds.
+3
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:04 am)Vettes are only designed to run over the finish line…. first!
-2
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:05 am)You would think the new GM would have plans to electrify their whole line-up of vehicles.
If they continue with the old school Vette, it will not only be a fossil, but a foggler fossil. (Foggler = foreign oil gas guzzler.) Fogglers should go the way of the horse drawn ice wagon. There is nothing snazzy about exhaust fumes or the cancer that results.
Put Voltec in the Vette!
+2
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:09 am)A performance car ought to be the last thing on the Voltec list, if it means delaying other types of electric vehicle (trucks, particularly).
It sounds very much like this is what’s being said at GM.
Let Fisker and Tesla make rich boy toys (at volumes in the 100′s, if they’re lucky), and let GM bring electrification to the masses (at volumes in the 100′s of thousands, if we’re lucky).
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:11 am)They won’t. At worst they would ‘regulate’ the Corvette V8 into a limited production vehicle, (i.e.: 1000 units or less per year).
Of course, I don’t think our legislators would or could do it. What about the high HP V8′s, V10′s, and V12′s of the foreign automakers? Would they regulate those out of existance also?
No f”’n way.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:15 am)“If the government were somehow able to ‘regulate’ the V8 engine OUT of existance”
If they can regulate light bulbs out of existence (in 3 years, skippy), look for red meat and V8s to follow.
In a couple of decades, they’ll be mandating implants to control your bodily functions.
Please pay attention, 007!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:18 am)“Ten years down the road” is probably about right.
+10
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:23 am)I don’t believe that in 10 years, similarily priced EV’s will be ” eating the current ZR1 for breakfast”. Its not all about 0-60 times, either.
Any one who understands the engineering in the ZR1 knows better. What a silly statement.
We need AFFORDABLE EREV’s for the public first.
+5
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:26 am)The Corvette is a car with a lot of tradition. Imagine if If GM changed it to a front-drive configuration… sacrilege!
Some buyers may balk at the idea of a hybrid Corvette at this point of time… sacrilege!
At this point in time hybrid cars have a reputation of being lame and under powered,,, i,e. the Prius. Toyota’s halo car has an effect on other manufacturers.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:28 am)Rasiid
I agree regarding the Voltec being in every car they build. However I think the Vette would be one of the last ones. I do think a good [not high] performance 2 seat sports car would sell quite well with the Voltec drive system giving a 0-60 mpr in say 5.5/6.5 seconds.
+7
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:30 am)But they have the Converj to compete with the Fiskers and Teslas. (If they ever get around to building it–which I’m sure they will once the Volt is a runaway success.) It’s more aerodynamic than the Corvette.
The Corvette is about horsepower. And that “sound.” I don’t understand the appeal myself. But, until battery technology is more fully developed, and people are more comfortable with electric cars, why mess with success?
+2
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:31 am)The Corvette has always been a touring car as well as a performance car. Part of it’s mission statement has always been to be capable of driving long distance in reasonable comfort if need be. Until battery or capacitor technology matures a bit more, a BEV Vette is not going to cut it with the traditional and loyal Corvette buyers. The relative short range, cramped space and rough ride of the Tesla isn’t going to sit well with this segment of the market.
Having said that, I do believe that a hybrid version of the Corvette would be popular as long as the V8 is preserved, the performance is validated on the track, the price isn’t hugely different and the price of gas is about $2 per gallon more than now. I think GM had better keep their minds open and prepared for a hybrid Vette not too distant in the future, probably something like 2 mode.
I also believe that GM should consider a smaller, lighter, BEV sport roadster like the Telsa and Dodge Circuit when GM’s finances are in order, running in the black and the government involvement is just a bad memory. Perhaps revive the Kappa II platform that was planned except in all aluminum and BEV.
+2
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:33 am)Jim I,
Rashiid Amul has it right.
It will take a LOT of change before the horsepower boys willingly come over to electric drive.
After the Volt hits the ground I say the next ‘performance’ move is a convertable Voltec Camaro. A ‘KERS’ Corvette could be after that.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:33 am)Why not? The extra weight of the battery would probably make handling worse. Would that be a worthwhile trade off for faster acceleration? Maybe.
+2
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:36 am)Sorry Dagwood55, saying that means you don’t ‘get’ the buyer of the Corvette.
That’s OK you aren’t going to buy one, but believe it, going 6 cylinder in a corvette would be a disaster for GM.
+3
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:38 am)Absolutely agree people buy for lots of reasons.
As a 27 year Corvette owner, the WORST thing GM could do is poke the eye of the current Corvette faithful and put a 6cyl or a hybrid chassis in this car.
I would rather see the nameplate disappear first. Nearly all of my Corvette buddies agree.
And replaced with something else (EREV, or whatever) not called Corvette.
As far as why people buy Corvettes….. I would change that to why do people OWN Corvettes.
IMO: Looks, prestige, power, atmosphere and its American heritage. Not to mention its the best “bang for the buck” in sports cars.
Speed is a convenient byproduct of the power, but there are just as many Vette owners who love the fact that they can get ~28mpg as well.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:38 am)Well, they used to charge the foreign automakers fines for importing those V12′s (and violating cafe). Now? With the new rules? They get a free ride. At least for the next four years. Don’t you just love our government?
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:39 am)I mostly agree with you Nasaman with one exception. there is no way any S500 compares in any way with the performance of a Corvette.
Powerful? Yes. but it’s a luxury sedan and although a capable car it’s not a sports car..
+2
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:41 am)They may buy one just to say they have one, if they can afford it.
But they would never drive it. They’d pull out the ’66 427 first.
So whats the point?
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:45 am)I meant that it should be 10 years down the road before even thinking about Voltec for a high-performance car.
By this time, others will have such cars on the road, so the motive would not be all that great, even then.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:46 am)A rather draconinan vision of the future Jackson.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:47 am)Agreed that if GM wants to make a super-electric someday, it should be it’s own nameplate, like Volt; and for for the same reasons. It would be too new to compare to any existing “V8″ tradition.
Given the prices such a vehicle can demand, perhaps this will be the venue for carbon-fiber and other lightening technologies (they shouldn’t rush to do this, so there’s plenty of time to figure out optimum weight reduction / high power for an electric sports car).
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:47 am)CorvetteGuy,
I ABSOLUTLEY AGREE!!
As one Corvette owner to another, you clearly “get it”. Those who do not own a Vette, just don’t.
Either keep the V8, or END the nameplate. Its as simple as that.
But as the owner of a 1971 Stingray, I’m not sure I like the idea of seeing that nameplate on another GM car. I have to think about that a little.
+3
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:50 am)There are somewhere around 6 billion people on this planet, there are about 50 thousand people on the Volt waiting list.
I want the Volt to succeed, but lets have a little reality check.
The Corvette and it’s like will be around for a long time. Since they are mostly ‘recreational’ weekend toys, Voltec drive is still much more important to the world in general.
Leave the ‘fantasy’ cars alone, they simply don’t make any significant difference because there are so few of them.
+5
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:52 am)A Vette as a hybrid?? Blasphemy!! Leave the Vette out of hybrid discussions. I have an appreciation for the Volt, and I have an appreciation for the Vette, each for different reasons.
Personally, I think you can be an EV enthusiast and still have an appreciation for beautiful ICE-powered muscle cars. It’s not a matter of choosing one over the other. You don’t have to choose which will prevail, the ICE cannot last forever no matter how many people love it or hate it.
If GM wants to create an electric ass kickin ride, more power to em. That’s great. I’d buy one. But there’s no need to involve the Corvette. It has it’s own rich heritage using an ICE. Create a new model – by a new name – that will hopefully begin a new, rich heritage of it’s own.
Bastardizing a Corvette as a hybrid is like having General Schwarzkopf join the Peace Corp, or having Bob Lutz lead Al Gore’s fight against global warming.
Some things just don’t mix.
+3
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:53 am)“old school Vette” ?
That’s hysterical.
The V8 Vette will disappear when the Lambo’s, Ferrari’s, and all other high performance sports cars disappear.
That won’t happen for a LOOOONG time……..
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:54 am)NO, NO and NO, never ever put a 6 cylinder engine in a vette. Don’t screw with what works. The vette is one of the few things GM has done right! A sweet car that competes with super cars that cost double and even tripple.
The only way electrification should even be considered for the vette is if it out performs the tesla and the fisker for less money.
But having said that, there are reasons the vette would be a good candidate for electrification:
- Most people don’t take long trips in it
- They want to go fast
- They want quick acceleration
- They want to be noticed
- They don’t mind paying a premium.
Electrify it, but it better Kick A#$ and take names like a vette should!!
My dream car has always been a vette, I would love the opportunity to own the fastest car for the money and be conscientious on getting off foreign oil.
BRING IT GM! I’ll start saving now
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:56 am)OK, NOW I agree with you!
I see the first step for a car like the Corvette will be an F1 style “KERS” system which regenerates on braking and then gives a power ‘boost’ at full throttle. (The civilian version of this might ‘just’ allow electric parking lot operation… sneaky, eh?)
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:02 am)Soooo…..
When’s a Hybrid Camaro?
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:03 am)Yeeeehaw!
Roadkill Cafe!
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:05 am)“GM has plans to keep the car viable for the near future without resorting to hybridization.”
That statement to me shows that GM has full understanding and appreciation of the Vette heritage, THANK GOD.
It is not a put down of Voltec, IN THE LEAST.
The Vette will likely be the last ICE car in the GM stable.
Then it will disappear forever and be replaced with something else using Voltec. The Vette, will NEVER be anything other than a V8, period.
+2
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:06 am)Corvetteguy and LauraM,
Since the reality is that there are very few high power V8, V10, V12 cars being built at all it’s silly to go after these cars if the goal is reduce the overall fuel usage.
Getting the Volt and the Voltec pickup and Van out there and affordable will do MUCH more good.
Remember those ‘large engine’ cars are generally also the big margin cars for those manufacturers, good profits at the top means they can concentrate on getting their ‘volume’ models right without worrying too much about cash flow.
This includes GM and the Volt.
And THAT is good for the world by allowing us to use less fuel in general.
/climbing down from soapbox…
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:07 am)Propane is much more likely.
(It likely has been done.)
-1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:07 am)I’m not interested in an electric corvette, I’m interested in an affordable electric car.
Speaking of that, here’s something that’ll make your head hurt:
http://green.autoblog.com/2009/09/22/reva-to-build-electric-cars-in-ny-state/
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:12 am)I want an EREV Pickup Truck!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:12 am)VOLTinME,
Which is as much as anything the POINT of the Corvette!
+3
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:15 am)______________________________________________________
Are Electric Sports Cars just for West Coast hippies?
True Story…
A hardcore traditional gearhead friend of mine living in South Florida (that has owned 3 Vettes over a 20 year span) is soon taking delivery of a Tesla Roadster. How this came about is an interesting story:
About five months ago, I happen to be visiting my friend over lunch and the topic of cars came up. He said that he was considering purchasing the new Vette. I told him he should consider the Tesla Roadster (sorry GM). My friend laughed off the suggestion and said that the Tesla Roadster was a pretend sports car designed for rich West Coast environmental hippies that “did not have the nut sack to drive a real sports car”. After some discussion, he accepted my $10 wager that if he test drove a Tesla Roadster that his opinion would change about the Roadster…He felt confident I would be out $10…I felt confident about the wager because I had test driven the Roadster and knew it kicked as*. I arranged through my Tesla contact for my friend to visit the LA Tesla dealership for a test drive during his next CA business trip. After the test drive, I emailed him and asked him what we thought…the response I got back was…”Interesting ride, not what I expected.” I wrote back “I guess that means you owe me $10?”. He then wrote back, “Yeah but worse than that I left them a deposit. Looks like I’ll have a hippie car in my garage.”.
Moral of the story…high performance Electric Sports Cars do appeal to traditional hardcore gearheads.
______________________________________________________
+3
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:15 am)I’m sure GM can support the Corvette with it’s tiny production volumes. One Volt for every Corvette would balance out nicely.
However, I do like the idea of a Tesla, Karma-like super electric vehicle for GM. As was just mentioned, it’s performance would be excellent. It could be the fire the Corvette provided in the past.
I believe we are seeing the end of the ICE-only super car era. Not just because they will be seen as everything that the world is trying to avoid but because the new super electrics are going to be just so fantastic. Four wheel individually controlled vehicle dynamics is going to blow anything that was done before. Simply not possible with old mechanical transmissions.
A super project could be the race platform GM could use like other auto makers use F1 and other races to develop and promote their image, yet can no longer afford.
I can’t help but be slightly disinterested now when I read Road & Track and other auto mags when I check out the ICE-only new models. They just seem so… So last generation.
All this new electrification technology is not only great for our country but is very cool and has such a long way to go. The developments are going to come fast and furious. The next Lamborghini? Pretty much the same engine and technology. Yawn. Wow, their their new model goes 220 up from 215 last year (as an example). How silly. Perhaps the super car will die with the Hummer. Both have that old-school stench of resource abuse.
It’s almost like how those hot Japanese rockets became so popular. That generation moved away from the huge muscle car and I expect when they can finally afford them, the 12 cylinder exotic as well.
How about that new Karma? Green, mean and beautiful. It’s time to let the past go. RIP cheap and OPEC-provided petroleum.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:16 am)Actually Lyle, the base Vette gets 26 highway, not 24.
Not a big deal but…… just sayin!
The same as a Toyota Venza.
+5
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:25 am)MetrologyFirst:
I totally agree. I have two old Corvettes as weekend cars, but the next car I buy will be a Volt. End of story. +1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:25 am)Well stated ‘MetrologyFirst’. I completely agree. The Corvette has a rich storied heritage. Don’t mess with it.
If GM wants to produce a performance EV, they should create a new namplate and use Corvette performance as a benchmark. An EV that can brag Corvette-like-performance would turn some heads. It would create a halo effect for all EVs.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:26 am)If Fisker can create a great looking “sports” car like the Karma and get the performance they are talking about with 50 miles EV mode then certainly GM can do the same for the Corvette. If not GM is doomed because they will have lost all technical skills necessary for future development. I hardly think that is the case.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:26 am)“In a couple of decades, they’ll be mandating implants to control your bodily functions.”
Now that’s darn wrong. Those bodily functions are the one’s I like using just before I exit an elivator.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:29 am)Yeah, the Corvette gets a really bad rap without the person doing the rapping bothering to check out the specs. Not saying Lyle is doing it. But certainly most of the automotive trade and environmentalist consider it as if it only gets 2 MPG. They just don’t bother to check their facts. Like allowing Toyota to advertise that they have the most fuel efficient vehicles on the market. GM’s latest commercials are blowing away some of the Toyota myths. Go get ‘em GM.
+4
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:33 am)ccombs says: “Yeah, I don’t like the whole “settle for a hybrid if all else fails” attitude.”
Yes, well said.
In particular, powerful electric motors offer max torque at 0 RPM, meaning instant acceleration. The Tesla Roadster has proven how effective this can be.
If GM is smart, they will begin looking at some sort of electric hybrid Corvette right now. It doesn’t have to be a series design, but it would need to have a powerful induction electric motor, and a battery capable of delivering the necessary power to back that up.
So Mr. Stephens, think of a hybrid Corvette as a performance improvement, with fuel economy as a side benefit…
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:45 am)Does anybody remember that the first 2 years of Corvettes had 6 cyl engines? They didn’t get a lot of respect then, but they sure are collectors’ items today.
As a 27 year Corvette owner, I couldn’t care less how many cylinders it has, as long as it puts up the performance numbers. Was it DonC who put up the erudite discussion of “mass” yesterday? Never so true as in the case of sportscars.
Zora Arkus-Duntov experimented many times with mid-engined Corvettes, as he knew that the mid-engined layout was the future of cutting edge sports and racing cars. Alas, he could never sell them to the GM bean counters.
Once I suggested, on the Fastlane blog, a mid-engined Corvette, weighing about the same as a Lotus Elise, with the same powerplant being used in the Fisker. THAT would be a world class sportscar. I got so blasted by the V-8 faithful that I never brought it up again. I have no doubt that it would get the same straight line performance we see today, handle a lot better, and also get dramatically better fuel economy.
Come to think of it, maybe the potential shown by KERS the last few races will make some sort of hybrid Corvette acceptable down the road. As the price of gas escalates, the impossible will become possible, and the unthinkable, thinkable. Wait for it.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:47 am)Hey guys; sorry, just a but frustrated this morning.
Our century drought has been replaced by a century flood.
Maybe we should all go to our Atlanta area Buick dealers (the ones still above water) and buy a Century …
… must … maintain … relevancy …
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:47 am)My wife says ‘dillos are best run over with a Silverado Crew Cab loaded up with your best drinkin’ buddys. That way everyone can enjoy it!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:47 am)I thought it was Honda they were going after. At least that’s the commercial I saw with with Howie Long.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:51 am)Hey Carcus1, are they actually gonna sell the Reva here? Did it actually pass NA crash tests?
Or are they gonna mfgr here (the Spark) to send back to India?
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:51 am)I’m pretty sure there hasn’t been a ‘Stingray’ since 1978. One thing is for sure, if they do bring it back, it should go on a worthy successor. NOT on a V6.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:54 am)Sometimes, there aint no skool like the “ol skool”.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:57 am)“Kickin’ it Old School” is not necessarily a put-down.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:58 am)There would be a lot of demand for this; GM take note! (Even if it is “only” a plug-in 2-mode). It’s the only way I could see buying a pickup. Any vehicle I buy has to cut it as my daily driver (as well as occasional ‘truck use’), the MPGs of a conventional pickup, even a small one, won’t cut it.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:59 am)GM doesn’t make any v10s or v12s. The corvette is a v8. And GM has to build several fuel efficient cars in order to be allowed to build a Corvette. That’s why they used to sell them at a loss.
The German manufacturers, on the other hand, are allowed to sell all the v10′s and v12s they want. That doesn’t help GM. If anything, this hurts Corvette and CTS sales, so that there will be less money to spend on the Volt. Basically, the US goverment is putting its domestic manufacturers (two of which they currently own) at a disadvantage in their home market.
It also bothers me that rich people are allowed to pollute and guzzle gasoline as much as they want, without paying extra for it. While the middle class buyers, who can’t afford BMWs, have to buy a car that conforms to the new standards.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (10:59 am)We can’t give away 2009 Corvettes right now. People are still placing their orders for Camaro. And now that the Z-28 is a solid GO, I don’t think the Vette will jump in sales again until the next body style in 2013. Sad, but true.
And they should bring back “Stingray” !
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:05 am)The small block V8 wasn’t created until ’55. The first two years of Vettes used the same 6cyl that was in most of GM’s cars at the time except with some added carbs. GM didnt make 4 speeds at the time, therefore requiring the powerglide automatic to be used.
Not to mention, the Vette sales didn’t take off until 1955-56, with the advent of the small block V8 and an appropriate manual transmission.
The car was two years before its time.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:07 am)That would be a nice Soltice/Sky replacement or more on the cabriolet G6 range maybe…
NPNS
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:07 am)Ah… that ‘splains things!
Hope your day gets better my friend.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:09 am)I hadn’t heard that before…
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:12 am)You are right Noel.
I see a V8 KERS (with cyl deactivation) Corvette before a mid-engine version though.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:13 am)Sign me up for a Voltvette(owner of 1989 Corvette for 12 years now)
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:13 am)If you go to Raser Technologies website,
http://www.rasertech.com/media/videos/the-electric-h3 ,
you see a photo of a GMC truck which is a EREV truck as well as a Hummer that they converted to electric traction using Raser’s 200kW advanced AC induction motor connected to a 4WD transmission.
The induction motor they have designed doesn’t use any permanent magnet materail so that their will be no dependence upon foreign suppliers like China.
Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:17 am)I can’t find it but I know there was a study done that showed people with mustaches won’t buy electric vehicles. Everyone knows you can’t buy a Corvette without a mustache so to build a hybrid Corvette would be insane
I see no reason why they wouldn’t apply the voltec platform to a Corvette and compete with Fisker in terms of performance and cost. Seems like you could get more performance with an electric drive.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:25 am)It seems to me that they’d use a modified, more powerful drivetrain in the Vette. Imagine the Voltec Vette having 50 MORE horsepower (not to mention all that instant torque), while getting 10 more mpg.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:26 am)OK,
But GM makes lots of V8′s.
I have NO problem with these folks that can afford a top of the line car. There is more profit in one of those top of the line cars than the PRICE of an entry level car. That profit drives R&D and that in turn makes the cars we mere mortals buy possible.
New base Corvette in Canada $66145. http://www.gm.ca
$48565 in the US. http://www.gm.com
That looks like a PILE of profit taking here in Canada at least since our dollars are not all that far from par.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:27 am)They should bring back the Opel GT but in a BEV.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Opel_GT%2C_Bj._1973_am_16.07.2006.jpg/250px-Opel_GT%2C_Bj._1973_am_16.07.2006.jpg
Call it the Min-E Vette
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:30 am)WORD!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:32 am)Exactly what a “KERS” equiped Corvette would ‘get’.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:40 am)Rashiid,
go to the following website:
http://www.rasertech.com/media/videos/the-electric-h3
they also show a picture of a converted GMC light duty truck!
Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.
+3
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:41 am)Totally agree Gary. Even when 90% of all cars are electric or hybrid, the Corvette needs to keep it’s heritage intact.
Corvette stands for big horsepower and big noise. Changing any of that and GM should just stop building ‘Vettes so that they can live on as collector’s cars.
The electric car paradigm calls for a new super car. Morphing the Corvette would be a mistake. Even fitting high-mpg tires would compromise the marque imho.
BTW. I owned a ’70 454 ‘Vette roadster. OMG!
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:42 am)Good points everyone….
I stand corrected!
But GM still needs to make a sporty two seater E-REV vehicle!!!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:43 am)It’s only a question of when all ICE vehicles will become collectors items/antiques The existing Corvettes will be among the premier Collectors items.
Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:50 am)I don’t have a problem with people buying a top of the line car either. But I don’t think that those manufacturers should be exempt from the rules that apply to everyone else. So, as a result, those top-of-the lines cars are cheaper than they otherwise would be.
I also have a problem with the US goverment putting our domestic car manufacturers at a disadvantage. If BMW gets special treatment, so should Cadilac.
I can see the argument for a small company that specializes in hand-built cars. But BMW, Daimler, etc., are large companies that could easily import more fuel efficient cars to meet cafe requirements. If they had to sell them at a loss, well, GM, Ford and Chrysler have done that for years.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:56 am)Agreed!
The Sky/Solstice could be that platform.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:58 am)The implied premise that a Voltec Vette could not out accelerate, out corner, and out perform the current generation of dinosaurs is dubious at best. The future is now.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:58 am)GM should partner with Raser Technologies. This company has created an A/C induction motor with superior performance. Raser has already converted a GMC light duty truck to use their drive system. They, also, converted an H3 Hummer.
One of the advantages of using their motor is no dependence of rare earth materials necessary to make permanent magnets for electric motors. China will be able to control the production of PM motors because they are a major source of the rare earth material needed. Raser’s technology should be kept in the U.S. and not leased to a foreign manufacture but only the future will tell if GM or an American company will step up and partner with Raser Technologies.
Look at this link:
http://www.rasertech.com/media/videos/the-electric-h3
Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (11:58 am)Somehow, I don’t think GM has heard it enough times — so brace yourselves (more to come).
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:00 pm)Fair enough, my point is that I don’t think they are selling at anywhere near a loss.
As for inexplicable unfair government regulations…
I have no idea what to do there… the problem is systemic.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:02 pm)LOL!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:14 pm)Getting 16/24 MPG out of a 6.2 L anything is an amazing feat. In comparison, the $90k Porsche Carrera S Cabriolet (comparable weight) 3.8 6-cyl attains 18/25. (plus the Vette starts at under $45k.) GM beats the pants off Porsche $ for $. Obviously each brand has its die-hards. But that’s not the issue here. The issue is if its perfectly 100.000 clear the VOLT ER 2.0 ICE could attain a sub 4 L/100 km – why ain’t they? And if that target is even approached – why not a 17 galoon tank – which Porsche fits in very nicely. Good grief! Just look at what kind of range the VOLT would have.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:19 pm)I remember when it was suggested that Chevy move to a 3-Rotor Wankel engine (aka Mazda) to have an equivilent 9-cyl powerplant. That went NOwhere.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:20 pm)Agreed!
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:23 pm)Don’t you mean ‘pills’ to control bodily functions? And if they don’t wear off in 4 hours your supposed to call your doctor, or at least your friends and brag about it?!
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:29 pm)The implied premise that the current Corvette is a “dinosaur” is also dubious.
The point is build an ‘everymans’ Volt and sell a million of them.
Leave the Corvette alone.
The outcorner theory has had a fair amount of cold water thrown onto it.
The Lotus Elise is one of the best cornering cars in the world.
The Tesla (based on the very same chassis) plows painfully through the corners because of the battery weight.
MAYBE someday an electric will be a ‘better’ sports car, but not today.
I can very much see a Volt as the everyday car and save the ‘toy’ for the weekend.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:37 pm)A Voltec Colorado and a Voltec Astro van would definately be filling a major gap in the market.
Astro van’s (particularly the AWD version) STILL sell for good money because tradesmen need a tough ‘truck’ to carry all their stuff in a small enough package to park anywhere. Only the Astro/Safari S10 based minivans ever properly filled that niche.
I know people who have them as their camper haulers, the truck derived frame makes them good towing vehicles.
Voltec the Colorado and then toss a van body on top.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:39 pm)MetrologyFirst:
I know. We own a ’55. Even the ’55 with the V-8 didn’t sell very well. 700 units total, LOL. Sales actually started to take off in ’56 with wind up windows, a lot better top, and the restyling. They made about 70 ’55s at the end of the year with 3 speed manuals. The 4 speed didn’t arrive until late ’57.
Ours is a vintage race car, with a real 265 V-8. It drives away from 300 SLs and XK 120s. It takes a real good C Type Jag to beat it. One of the big secrets is weight. It’s the lightest Corvette ever built, as the V-8 with the 3 speed is about 150 pounds lighter than a 6 with a Powerglide. Hello DonC, LOL. Mass is the enemy!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:42 pm)Schmeltz,
A Corvette is not ‘light’ by any stretch of the imagination. A 2009 is 3180 curb weight. The older ones were over 4000. It is the only ‘full frame’ car GM builds.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:49 pm)CorvetteGuy:
I believe that they actually built a running prototype of the Wankel engined car – mid-engined, BTW. I think that was the Aero Vette. Duntov also parts binned a mid engined coupe with a 454 big block turned sideways driving through a Toronado transaxle stuffed in the back. I believe that they had to run the driveline through a tube welded into the engine oil pan, LOL.
A super creative guy, Mr. Duntov, and absolutely way ahead of his time, at least in the context of GM in the day. If they can keep up that tradition of creativity, the Corvette will be around for a long time, even in the face of today’s changing reality. As you so correctly put it, the idea is to be first over the finish line. I don’t really care if it’s one liter or seven. Do you remember the 1500cc BMW turbo F1 engines in the Brabhams in Nelson Piquet, Sr.’s day? 1500hp at qualifying boost, about 70 psi if memory serves. I’ll take that!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:50 pm)To be fair though the Corvette name has been used to ‘try’ all sorts of interesting technology over the years.
If Chevy ‘were’ to try a high power wankel it almost would HAVE TO be tested in the Corvette.
-5
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:54 pm)Ha ha you are so funny. I think GM already seriously poked your eye out already doofus. It’s called the Cadillac CTS V and it totally punks the Corvette. The Caddy is the new king of the road. Move over while i kick your ass to the curb clown.
-3
Sep 22nd, 2009 (12:56 pm)Vette with 28 mpg. I want some of that stuff you are smoking dude. That must be some serious sh#@t. LMAO
-1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:02 pm)A V6 would work if it was done right. GM has yet to produce a power six-pack without supercharging. Maybe dual SC would work. But it would be even better if the let the masters of 6 cylinders (aka BMW) build the motor, now that would be awesome.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:04 pm)A Dodge Viper is a V-10. I don’t consider it ‘exotic’.
-4
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:05 pm)To get a decent Vette you gotta drop more than 70 large at the dealer. The entry level corvettes are garbage.
-1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:10 pm)I don’t think your typical corvette owner could even appreciate the awesomeness of electric assist. These are mainly old geezers who used to have gasoline in their veins and can finally afford one at an advanced age. They have the mentality of a neutered monkey and the brain of a horse. Not a very sophisticated bunch. So this would be a waste of time and money for this niche market.
+2
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:12 pm)Engineering and building the best takes a little sacrilege now and then. Chevy should look at this as an opportunity to improve the Vette. With electrics, they could easily change to front wheel drive, or, even better, four wheel drive. With four motors, you could adjust acceleration and braking torque to each wheel and compensate for cornering forces. Flat torque curve from 0 to infinity is all gravy for a performance vehicle. Of course the genset would have to be pretty hefty to sustain 200mph. Hey, why not just leave the batteries out (mostly) and run the juice from the genset straight to the motors??!!!!! Use a battery or supercap pack just large enough to get the beast off the line while waiting for the ICE to spool up. It sounds like a lot of fun to me.
And since the battery pack sufficient for that performance would easily be usable for regen and a little e-only driving, you could still achieve very good numbers for test driving cycles.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:12 pm)Porsche FTW ! – There is NO substitute.
The only thing a Vette will ever see is my Whale Tail.
-1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:18 pm)The last Corvette that actually looked good was the Stingray like way back in the 60s. Those newer ones are butt ugly for sure.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:20 pm)You guys have good points. I guess where I was coming from, is the thought that there is a two-fold benefit to pursuing an All-Electric drivetrain over a hybrid for this application. First, is mechanical simplicity. Any hybrid of any stripe is fairly complex. We know this intimately with the Volt. If the car would be done as some parallel hybrid iteration and only bump up a few more mpg, than it is very hard to argue the extra cost. All-Electric eliminates the fuel efficiency issue (it takes no gas at all), and the mechanical complexity issue in one stroke.
The second area where an All-Electric Vette would shine would be shear performance. It is completely conceivable an Electric Corvette could out-perform its gas-driven brethren. If Corvette customers could get over the inertia of resistance to change, and see better performance characteristics, there could be a real case here.
For normal driving applications, I would vote for a Volt hands down, but for a sports car niche, an All-Electric may better fit the bill. An Electric Corvette probably wouldn’t be driven as an everyday car in most circumstances. I have a neighbor with a classic Corvette that maybe sees the light of day 5 times a year at the most. Therefore the Range Anxiety isn’t nearly as powerful of an argument for a sports car as it is an everyday car such as the Volt.
Sheer cost of designing and developing either a hybrid or an All-Electric Corvette may be too high at this point in time for GM. This may be an idea that will have to ultimately wait a few years before serious efforts are taken, (in reality, GM maybe should hold off on this for now). The thrust of my comment is just food for thought, and for GM to keep an open mind.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:24 pm)As seen before….
At 1:30 of the video, the White Zombie kills the yellow Vette…
http://www.mixx.com/videos/3329957/plasma_boy_white_zombie_blows_away_corvette
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:25 pm)A Voltec Colorado is exactly what I am looking for.
-4
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:29 pm)I have seen Fisker. Fisker is a friend of mine.
GM IS NO FISKER !
Most of GM engineering talent will leave with Opel.
GM = Goofy Motors (because that’s all they will be able to make)
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:37 pm)Cool you have a ’55. Hang onto that one! Your dead on about the ’55′s not selling much either. I think they decided to keep a low ’55 output because they couldn’t sell off the ’54′s with the inline 6. Imagine…
I almost bought a blue ’61 about 15 yrs ago to match my blue ’71. Just couldn’t pull the trigger, though. Been kicking myself for the last 10 yrs about that!
Those year Vettes not only could MOVE, but IMO, they are some of the most beautiful cars ever on the road. True works of art.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:38 pm)LauraM says –> “The Corvette is about horsepower. And that “sound.””
————–
Indeed, and Corvette has always held that visceral appeal to me. Corvette also has had another tradition, that of being first in whatever was new and exciting in automotive. Consequently, it is a car that has always been sporty and high performance, but also cutting edge. Maybe no longer.
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:45 pm)Did you use the word “awesomeness”?
BTW, I bought my Vette just after turning 18. Still have it 27 yrs later.
Turning 18 is cool. You’ll see in a few years…….
+3
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:54 pm)LYLE!!!
No name. Block IP Address. This week. PLEASE.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (1:54 pm)old man says a Voltec “..performance 2 seat sports car would sell quite well with the Voltec drive system giving a 0-60 mpr in say 5.5/6.5 seconds.”
—————————
For the Voltec car, how about a target time of 0.5 seconds less than the big-engine Vette?
Electric is intrinsically superior in its ability to bring on instant torque, so why not show it off? It just takes the right tires and drivetrain. It could be a new model, or it could be a Vette with a lightning bolt insignia.
Big noise, though I love it, is so last millenium
Now we love the silent whoosh, like Star Trek.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (2:04 pm)The ‘Mako Shark’ style (C3′s) are the best looking Stingrays. You are right about the current model Vettes. Although they are a joy to drive (they make you feel like a much better driver than you are), I have never been excited about “the look” since they went to the ‘wanna-be’ Ferrari-styled headlights. Everything behind the front wheels looks fine, but that nose looks too Italian. (No offense to Italians….) The C5 and C6 nose never really looked like a Corvette to me.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (2:10 pm)Children only speak that way to their elders because they don’t teach auto shop in high school any more.
When you get to 50, you will find the a few gallons of 92 Octane and 2 Tablespoons of Metamucil will keep you running in your Corvette just fine.
+2
Sep 22nd, 2009 (2:11 pm)Take of the green tinted glasses!
Gasoline has the biggest bang for the buck and will for a loooong time. Electric power is great but it is decades away from exceeding anything based on gasoline. Your standard $45K Corvette today can run to 60 MPG in 4 seconds and go 185 MPH, compare that to a $115K Tesla. The Corvette ZR1 which is cheaper then the Tesla can go 205 MPH and run 0-60 in 3.3 seconds! All electric cars have trouble even breaking 130 MPH. Tesla doesn’t even out perform its own ICE equivalent and it costs $50-$60 more then the Lotus!
I drive the Karma’s ICE equivalent, the Solstice GXP. My car has a 4.5 0-60 with a tuned 320 horsepower and I get 35-40 MPG with my commute to work everyday. My Solstice was only $30K when new.
The electric sports car is nothing but an eco-statement for now, completely ridiculous.
The Corvette has plenty of room to grow in regards to MPG. The C5 ZO6 had a 0-60 of 3.9 and got 28 MPG in the highway. The LS6 engine from the C5 ZO6 was a high compression 5.7L and it had 405 horsepower and got 28 MPG highway. If you add direct injection and cylinder deactivation to that engine with less weight and drag, 35 MPG would be very realistic.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (2:18 pm)Hey Cappy,
Just thought it was painfully interesting that the Indian company that might put an put an electric drive train in a Indian built GM car (spark) is now rumored to be building a factory for another affordable electric car (reva) in the states.
–It seems that there’s just not much chance of anything GM manufactures in the U.S. shipping to India. The cheap labor always seems to make it more profitable to ship the factory than to ship the product.
– If I remember correctly, Stephens indicated that products might be shipped from India back to the states. Again, another kick in the nuts to the American tax payer whose dollars are taken taken to (supposedly) retain U.S. jobs while GM simultaneously cuts production in the states and (most likely) expands production in India.
/just rumors and speculation, but it looks like it could be lining up in that direction
// the very cynical side of me would suspect that the U.S. reva factory is just political white washing so GM can smooth the politics of a deal over for importing the Indian built spark back to the U.S.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (2:27 pm)All fogglers are dinosaurs. It may not be clear to everyone now, but revisit the concept in 2017.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (2:32 pm)NEWS FLASH: The U.S. Department of Energy has just announced the award of a $528.7 million conditional loan to Fisker. The DOE says the loan “will create or save about 5,000 jobs for domestic parts suppliers.” Highlights of the DOE’s announcement include confirmation that the money will go towards “two lines of plug-in hybrids” (including Fisker’s $39,000 PHEV) …..and that at least some of those jobs will be “to manufacture a plug-in hybrid in the U.S.”
Watch out, Corvette & Tesla! Here comes Fisker!!!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (2:35 pm)Very cool. I wonder if he has any kits for Corvette conversions….
Sep 22nd, 2009 (2:38 pm)One more thing, the Corvette makes GM a lot of money, GM sells about 35,000 Corvette’s each year with about $7-25,000 in profit each year. At $7,000 each that’s a $245,000,000 profit, that almost puts a dent in the Volt’s developmnet costs.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (2:39 pm)Take off the green tinted glasses!
Gasoline has the biggest bang for the buck and will for a loooong time. Electric power is great but it is decades away from exceeding anything based on gasoline. Your standard $45K Corvette today can run to 60 MPG in 4 seconds and go 185 MPH, compare that to a $115K Tesla. The Corvette ZR1 which is cheaper then the Tesla can go 205 MPH and run 0-60 in 3.3 seconds! All electric cars have trouble even breaking 130 MPH. Tesla doesn’t even out perform its own ICE equivalent and it costs $50-$60 more then the Lotus!
I drive the Karma’s ICE equivalent, the Solstice GXP. My car has a 4.5 0-60 with a tuned 320 horsepower and I get 35-40 MPG with my commute to work everyday. My Solstice was only $30K when new.
The electric sports car is nothing but an eco-statement for now, completely ridiculous.
The Corvette has plenty of room to grow in regards to MPG. The C5 ZO6 had a 0-60 of 3.9 and got 28 MPG in the highway. The LS6 engine from the C5 ZO6 was a high compression 5.7L and it had 405 horsepower and got 28 MPG highway. If you add direct injection and cylinder deactivation to that engine with less weight and drag, 35 MPG would be very realistic.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (2:40 pm)Errrr, wouldn’t it be prudent to actually see a proven product (independently tested) BEFORE you loan somebody half a billion dollars????
Sep 22nd, 2009 (2:47 pm)Off Topic (sort of)
The cover story on this month’s Design News is the Engineer of the Year award. And it goes to the CTO of Tesla, JB Straubel, for his work on extending the range of the car.
Full article here:
http://www.designnews.com/article/326033-Tesla_Engineer_Boosts_EV_Range_to_New_Heights.php
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:01 pm)Prudent? At this juncture?
Not if you’re the US of effing A.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:02 pm)So can you show me where I can drive on streets or highway/freeway at breakneck 130 MPH? If not then how usefull is that?
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:03 pm)By the highly unscientific measure of rarity, I do consider it exotic: I’ve only ever caught a single fleeting glimpse of one.
Didn’t the V10 in the Viper start out as a truck engine?
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:04 pm)BREAKING: Fisker gets $528.7 million loan from U.S. DOE for Karma, Project Nina
http://www.autonews.com/article/20090922/ANA02/309229954/1186
My SWAG is Nina is the $39,000 model.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:06 pm)Is “Government Health Care” going to pay for that?!!
This will make America stand to attention …
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:07 pm)The electric killacycle can go from 0-60 in under 1 second.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:08 pm)Doubt it. His car is only 50% original parts. His rear drive axels are different and so on.
His DC motors are called “Siamese 9′s”. Basically their two Warp 9′s wired end to end with some mods. Or are they Warp 8′s? Can’t remember now.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:24 pm)Lunoir
The Soltice is the exact car I was thinking about. Voltec drives system and under $25,000.00 after the tax credit. It should attract the young singles as well as the newly married and college students.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:28 pm)RB
I think the Voltec sports car could be the Soltice. Fast off the line but more into milage than rocket take off. A switch between economy and performance mode would fit with such a vehicle.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:35 pm)But I think if you offerd one to him to convert, he’d gladly do it.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:40 pm)..need new keyboard…I did not see “Dillos”, the first time, but a different word…
off to get papertowel to clean the screen…
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:43 pm)reminicent of “red barchetta” by RUSH.
“Fire up the willing engine …responding with a roar..” and
” a gleaming alloy air car swoops towards me 2 lanes wide”
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:44 pm)They are doing one against Toyota also. I saw it within the last couple of days. I saw the Honda ad also. Both are a start to showing GM has vehicles that can compete in mileage at least. May be some wind behind there sails to get more people into the showrooms. I wish them luck.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:47 pm)I agree that GM is no Fisker. Beyond that you are strictly on your own. Lots of luck.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:51 pm)I tend to agree with your assessment. Corvette owners are strictly horsepower and big block oriented. The unthinkable could certainly happen. Where will those people be then? I would think that a hybrid Corvette, done properly, could best the standard ICE Corvette every single time. I could be wrong, but that would not be the first time and certainly will not be the last time. IMO.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:52 pm)I’ll match your White Zombie with the world’s fastest street legal car, a 1963 Corvette. 0-60 in less then a second and the ¼ mile in 7.09 seconds at 194.58 MPH!
Oh snap!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifGp02E307A
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:53 pm)Captain:
Well there’s a sobering note after all this fun stuff about Corvettes. I bet they can get paid some fat salaries and bounuses before they run through that $528.7 million.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (3:57 pm)Come to Utah, there are many both legal and not so legal roads to go fast on. My Slowstice was at 155 MPH about a month ago on some lonely highway.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (4:00 pm)It not that it is actually “useful” except to be able to say it does that speed. Some people have got to talk the talk even if they don’t ever get out and do the walk. More or less…
Sep 22nd, 2009 (4:02 pm)Capt, you should have mentioned that you have to have a log-in account to access that auto news story.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (4:26 pm)Damn!!!
Loved the cockpit view. I wonder how much petrol was used in that .25mile run. Half gallon?…….lol
Sep 22nd, 2009 (4:33 pm)Neil, try this one…
http://missionzero.org/categories/12-Transportation/saved_entries/3376-BREAKING-Fisker-gets-528-7-million-loan-from-U-S-DOE-for-Karma-Project-Nina
If that doesn’t work Google for: breaking-fisker-gets-528-7-million-loan-from-u-s-doe-for-karm/
If I post something from ABG, it gets moderated.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (4:35 pm)lol….I get it now.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (4:49 pm)Looks like the Name’s forthcoming from Fisker will be from the names of the ships Christopher Columbus sailed in on….
Nina
Pinta
Santa Maria
Cool, they say it parallels the birth of a new world. Nice PR twist.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (5:06 pm)Pinta is too close to Pinto
Sep 22nd, 2009 (5:08 pm)AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!
I noticed that too.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (5:12 pm)Isn’t the “Pinta” the one that sank on the way to the New World?
Sep 22nd, 2009 (5:21 pm)The VOLT will create its own Legend for the next 60+ years. The Converj, (I bet) will do so even more.
Leave our old Legends alone.
Long live the Corvette!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (5:23 pm)In the spirit of drag racing videos, earlier in this thread, I was in attendance for this one at the “soul brother nationals” and witnessed the crash.
One of the craziest things I’ve seen in my life.
Incredible Drag Bike Crash
http://video.aol.co.uk/video-detail/incredible-drag-bike-crash/4084176794
/ It was AWESOME!
+1
Sep 22nd, 2009 (5:24 pm)Who are you callin’ a Hippie?
Dude — Get out of my van!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (5:26 pm)Those silly Germans… Always stuffing their pistons in the rear…
Sep 22nd, 2009 (5:36 pm)I see, deep down you prefer whales over monkeys and horses. No one is perfect.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (6:18 pm)Ouch! I saw the one guy get up. What happened to the other one, if you know? I hope he was OK too.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (6:46 pm)Would be good to see a Electric version of the Corvette.
I drove the EV1.. it was a very fast car… the no shifting is great.
It’s like a first gear that never ends!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:22 pm)Captain:
I’m gonna believe it when I see it. If then, LOL.
“Believe none of what you hear, and half of what you see.”
Sep 22nd, 2009 (7:26 pm)I’d love to see an EREV or EV Corvette!
An EREV Corvette would allow GM to compete with the Tesla roadster and Fisker Karma, it would allow the ‘Vette to actually help them meet CAFE standards, and it would help bring in profits from the Voltec technology! (In addition the aerodynamics and instant torque help make an EREV ‘Vette a good fit.)
If done well, an EREV Corvette could help the ‘green’ and high tech image of the Corvette and also help boost the performance image for Voltec.
I don’t care whether they decide to keep the Corvette’s V-8 around in a hybrid, but I’d like to see a version of the Corvette that can run exclusively on electricity. I’m glad that GM started with a mass market EREV but I think they should follow it with a sports car that really underscores the Voltec (and Chevy) brand with high performance AND efficiency!
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:02 pm)The big guy (who got ran over) went by the name of “butter”. The other guy — I thought he’d been killed. Took the ambulance forever to get him off the track. To everyone’s amazement, they announced an hour or so after the ambulance left that he had only broken his leg.
Butter was in the parking lot after the race with a crowd of about 50 or so gathered around. He was holding his jacket up with tire tracks down the back — telling stories. I’d bet he was pretty sore the next day.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:11 pm)“Electric power is great but it’s decades away from exceeding anything based on gasoline.”
Decades? EEstor said they will have the EESU verified in less than one week. lol. OK, scratch that example.
Do you really think decades?
1) You didn’t talk about four wheel computer controlled vehicle dynamics. Each wheel is servo controlled to a very precise degree. Each wheel can be spun up, down, whatever, to correct just about any condition.
2) Check out the Internet where they have prototype EVs kicking the crap out of very expensive exotic cars. Just a powerful electric motor and a cheap battery. EVs have unbelievable low end torque to give outrageous 0-60 times.
3) Who the hell drives 200 + miles an hour? Now that’s ridiculous. What is your estimate of the actual amount of time, in a percentage of total time Corvette owners spend in the 90 percent and above range of top speed? I’m guessing 0.00001% of the time.
4) EVs do all that with only one moving part and no transmission needed!
5) The cost of EV battery packs is projected to be cut in half by 2020. It’s the most expensive and undeveloped component of EVs.
Thus, just a few improvements in batteries and the ICE exotic is going to be ready for retirement. When economies of scale hit and the cost of those batteries drops and cost of gasoline rises, RIP fossil-fuel-guzzling exotics.
Sep 22nd, 2009 (9:43 pm)I suggested something similar quite a while ago.
* Composite sandwich monocoque body/chassis (see the XP-898 concept from 1970)
* Mid-mounted E-REV power module
* Battery in the center tunnel
* Electric motors rigidly fixed to each of four independently suspended axles
* Motors mounted next to the axle pivot point (like inboard brake disks)
Optimize weight centralization and lower the CG to about 6″ above the axle.
Oh my, that puppy would FLY!
Sep 23rd, 2009 (1:15 am)Electric motors on the front wheels…what a sweet way to get an all wheel drive launch. That would bring the Z06 to around a 3 second flat 0 to 60. Way nice!
Sep 23rd, 2009 (4:41 am)We all know the stupidity and fruitlessness of the CAFE rukes – they have been around forever and saw the fleet go from mild mannered sedans to gas guzzling SUVs, all with the blessing of this most brainless of brainless Govt regulations. The history of the CAFE should be a poster child to exhibit how the Feds screw EVERYTHING up. Of course, why anyone would even want to limit gasoline consumption remains one of life’s true mysteries. CAFE regs weew proposed to help reduce ourdepdendence upon foeeign oil during the gas crisis days of the 1970′s. They had zero effect.
The fact that they had no effect didn’t deter in the slightest those who have pushed these sily regs all these years. The regs have, at most, caused consumers to buy foreign brands, those with no CAFE
problems.
+1
Sep 23rd, 2009 (8:15 am)A Corvette that can do 28 MPG on the highway is quite common. I just got home from a long trip last night and I got 29.5 with my 2007 Vette and sometime I can even do better. You can laugh all you want!