The next-generation Corvette — scheduled to bow in 2012 — could be lighter and less powerful than the current model, thanks to stricter CAFE regulations. The current Corvette lineup includes the 430 horsepower base car and the 505 horsepower Z06. Chevrolet also took the wraps off of its 620 horsepower 2009 Corvette ZR1 at the Detroit Auto Show last week.
The new CAFE regulations have Chevrolet engineers thinking more about an environmentally friendly Corvette than a 700 horsepower one. “What’s going to be more important is fuel economy, carbon footprint and green,” Tom Wallace, vehicle line executive for the Corvette, told Automotive News. “We have already paid a lot of attention to those areas. Where we can pay more attention is pounds per horsepower.”
Wallace added: “I don’t think we’re going to design a 700 horsepower Corvette.”
Instead, Wallace says the next Corvette will have a heavy emphasis on pounds per horsepower. Although no figures are set, Wallace said that if the C7 Corvette were to shed 300 or 400 pounds, it could use a 4.7L V8 with 150 less horsepower than found in the 2008 models and still maintain the same performance. Lighter weight would also translate into better handling.
No word on how the new CAFE regulations have impacted the possibility of a mid-engine C7.
