Boo383

The rollout for the C7 Corvette will look like this: The standard couple will launch in late 2013 or early '14, with the convertible coming 3 to 6 months later. The ZO6 is next, a full year after the standard coupe. Then comes Gran sport coupe and convertible, with the ZR1 the last of the next gen Corvettes to hit showrooms. Rumor has it that the ZR1 supercharged 6.2 liter V8 will shrink in displacement slightly, for CAFE reasons, and there will be a 3.6 liter V6 version of the base corvette, though not at launch.

LS1LT1

Not sure where Motor Trend is getting it's info but I suppose that it could be correct.
Then again, that time line sounds exactly like the one used for the C6 (minus the V6 thing) as well so either it's dead on accurate or they're just blatantly guessing based on historical precedence LOL.
While on the surface a cheaper, more fuel efficient V6 model makes no sense at all, it could be a way to raise the car's overall CAFE ratings while still allowing us to have the super high performance variants and also keep the factory afloat in times of higher fuel costs.
It could be a direct 370Z/Boxster/Z4/SLK competitor or something.

niteriderc5

I would not mind having a base 380hp-400hp DI Turbo 3.6 V6 Priced under $45k

Std V8 potentiality name LS4 5.5? 6.2? would be rated 530hp with base price of $50k

Z06 with LS8 580hp $70k base price

Zr1 with LS10 6.2 supercharged 700hp $110k base price

Im assuming all engines will be DI - and possibly DOD on LS4

eco mode for ZR1

Z06 should be as raw as it can be...whatever GM can get away with..meaning roll bar/cage race derived seating pretty much the GT3 of Corvettes

ZR1 should be the gentleman's cut price hyper car at 700hp Leather everywhere and performance like no other

jb_va2001

Sounds like an educated guess more than a GM leak. Logically you'd build the base car first, then build the special or HP versions off the base model you've created. GM wouldn't hold off on releasing the base C7 for 9-12 months while they finished the Z06, GS or ZR1. A staggered release also has a significant side benefit for GM, it would motivate some Corvette enthusiasts to purchase multiple cars (You know who you are. GM loves you. ), a base in 2014, then an HP model 2-3 years later, it's an extra sale they wouldn't make if all the choices were available in year one. Given the number of Corvette enthusiasts, this could be a significant number of cars.

Personally, I don't believe the CAFE comment. The Z06 & ZR1 sell in such small quantities relative to other GM models it wouldn't impact the corporate average much at all.

Cheers,
JB

HZ3

Everyone so far has stated a late 2013 release this is the first time I have heard of rumors regarding early 2014.

Still it's refreshing although its just a rumor to hear the Z06 will be making a return. Guess the unveiling at the Auto Show next year will decide if I plan to get something in the Spring wait for the C7 base or drive around these company cars and wait for a new C7 Z06 (not sure I can wait that long) it sounds like a refreshing timeline although I'm sure its just hypothesized at best.

Xanthophyll

Cool! A V6! We're in Mustang & Camaro territory now.

RonnieC6Z

Since it is official that GM is introducing the C7 during the 2nd week of next January at the Detroit show, and the last C6 will be built in March of next year, why would the C7 not hit showrooms until early 2014? makes no sense. Also, I would be surprised if the coupe and vert did not come out at the same time.

Boo383

It was stated that GM wants to appeal to a younger audience with the Corvette. Perhaps the V6 version needs further development delaying its release. This could come in at a lower price point which may be what it takes to attract younger buyers.

CRABBYJ

If you look at what BMW is doing going from a normally aspirated I6 to a Turbo I4 in their base Z4 and 3 series you may see a clue. Their new I4 has more bottom end torque, near the same HP and gets better gas mileage. So far it seems to be getting good reviews. But, the base price is about the same with just a few more previous options now thrown in as a sweetener. The future is fast approaching for performance car makers but don't expect price reductions for base models.

With that, I think a C7 with a V6, probably with a turbo, with performance numbers in the same neighborhood or better than a current base C6 V8, and better MPG figures, will not be at a lower price point IMO. I for one am not into turbo engines, just more to worry about. That's what I like most about base Corvettes with a V8....

JJC5

Where are you getting these HP numbers? The "potentially" named LS4 at 530HP?? I highly doubt it.

Xanthophyll

I have no problem if the V6 has more power than the base V8..... however if they are doing this to lower the MSRP of an entry level Corvette (and it produces less power than the Base-model V8), then I'm not for it.

At all. It's diluting the name, IMO. Hell, maybe they'll stick steel wheels and hubcaps on it. "Introducing the Everyman's Corvette, with a raw 350 hp V6 engine... just watch out for the 2015 Nissan Maxima."

I'm in a college town, and you can't swing a stick without hitting a V6 Mustang (and plenty of V8 'Stangs as well)... I really hope that doesn't happen with the Vette.

Remember this from 1982?



The 4-cylinder Camaro. 2.5L producing 90 hp. But hey, it's a Camaro! A honest-to-goodness real Camaro! Even the 2.8L V-6 Berlinettas could look down their noses at these guys.

jb_va2001

"Younger buyer" doesn't mean 20-somethings when your average buyers age is nearly 60. Plenty of 40- and 50-somethings have money for a Corvette, but they've been buying something else.

TaylorMade

1,000,000%

HZ3

I may be buying one the day it comes off the lot and Ill be 26 when its released no need to act like you know what your talking about...

Plenty of young people can afford this car they just don't roll in the same circles as most of you.

Jinx

Fun but irrelevant. IIRC the car dropped something like 700 pounds from its predecessor, which in base form was just as pathetic despite having more cylinders. And, most importantly, everything in 1982 sucked. We were coming out of the second energy crisis (with the belief there'd be more to come), we were pretty certain that horsepower was gone for good, and we were damn lucky just to have something that would run.

Still, I don't see the rationale for a V6 in Corvette for several more years.

.Jinx

Xanthophyll

Right, but a 90 hp 4-cylinder Camaro certainly didn't do much for the Camaro name at the time, and history has not shone brightly on it. It was the joke Camaro. Low power, low cost. If the numbers I read were correct, the 1982 Z28 had 165 hp at the time, and the 1982 Mustang (V8) was around 157 hp. The '82 Corvette had 200 hp. So speaking on relative terms, at the time the pecking order was still intact....

Hell, a 1982 Chevrolet Celebrity and Monte Carlo had more horsepower than the 1982 base Camaro.

If we have a low(er) horsepower Corvette that can keep up with or barely exceed the V6 Mustangs and Camaros, (and get smoked by some family sedans?) ... the name will suffer. And let's face it, the V6 Camaro and Mustangs are no longer slouches. In my mind, the newest base Corvette (whether it's a V6 or V8) should always be able to smoke almost everything else that's new on the road at that time (note I said "almost").

The last thing Corvette needs is a car with less power for the sake of affordability + energy efficiency. I'm not against having a V6, but it should be a kick-*** V6 that has as much (or more) power than the current V8.... or at least be able to keep up.

Again, this is just my opinion.

jackhall99

BS!

We've seen your prior posts about your grandpa and his connections, and some ZR-1 you had in your driveway, and the "family discount" you may forgo to buy a better Mustang, and the big bonus you may get.

Even if you can buy one "the day it comes off the lot", and you better place your order soon or you may get your C7 a day later

We do know what we're talking about. The average age of a Corvette buyer is well into their 50s. GM may build the new car to appeal to some younger drivers. However moving the average down by five years over the next five years would be akin to Moses parting the Red Sea.

Most 25 year old people are paying college costs back, settling into entry level jobs, etc.

1985 Corvette

Be careful, my friend, you're about to incite a pissing contest of 20 somethings who will dog pile your post about how many Corvettes, Ferraris, and houses they own.

jackhall99

Thanks amigo. I know, and on the 'net you never know who is blowing smoke, etc. I think most of us figure out who is legit on here after a while.

Take care, and thanks for covering my back.

Jinx

It's a terrible Camaro, but mostly because it comes from a terrible time. The 1982 Chevrolet Celebrity had the same base engine, and the Monte Carlo was offered with a diesel V6. Yeah, which car sucked more?

It's Chevrolet's Mustang II, and born of the same fuel panic. We shouldn't single it out as terrible, we should remember it as an example of how terrible everything was in that time.

By contrast, today we're just worried that fuel might get a little more expensive, and cars are more powerful than ever.

Which makes introducing a V6 to Corvette in the near term far worse than that Iron Duke Camaro or that Pinto Mustang.

Let's say GM drops the Camaro V6 into a 3100lb C7. It will have no trouble fending off the larger heavier pony cars. And what family sedan is going to smoke it? Seriously, name one.

But the real problem with the V6 Corvette is that it'll still be a $50,000 car. It won't really weigh less or cost less to build, it'll just deliver slightly improved city mileage.

I would put it slightly differently -- Corvette should be quicker overall than anything that costs less. (New and stock, obviously.)

Agreed -- but the old 82 Iron Duke Camaro isn't what makes that case, because in truth, that's what that base car needed to be at that time in order to survive. Not so a V6 Corvette; quite the opposite.

If GM thinks it can build a kickass V6 to attract the fans of such a motor, they need to prove it in some other car. The next-generation Camaro comes to mind. (Think Mustang SVO vs Mustang GT.) The most recent V6 turbo they built was hardly kickass.

(And please don't let it be the ATS-V. That car needs the C7's base powerplant. It's what GM does best. Seriously, GM, don't blow this one.)

.Jinx