General Motors has long been rumored to be developing a mid-engine version of its next-generation Chevrolet Corvette , but the on-again-off-again project has officially been removed from the table, according to a new report.
Although the mid-engine Corvette did have support from within General Motors – including the stamp of approval from GM car czar Bob Lutz – the mid-engine C7 was simply a victim of the times. With cash tighter than ever, GM doesn’t have the resources to develop a completely new mid-engine platform for the C7, according to Motor Trend.
The idea of a mid-engine Corvette was actually conjured up to improve fuel economy – due to the fact that the ‘Vette’s current front engine, rear transaxle layout makes cylinder deactivation nearly impossible – but GM discovered that development costs far outweighed any CAFE benefits. However, the C7 Corvette will still have to deal with CAFE regulation set to take effect in 2011, so a V6 base model still remains a distinct possibility.
But whatever form the C7 Corvette ultimately takes, it’s still going to be a few years before it shows up in Chevrolet dealerships. Even GM’s halo model isn’t exempt from the current market downturn, with money being funneled from the Corvette’s redesign to other project. That means the next ‘Vette likely won’t launch until at least late 2012, but probably closer to mid-year 2013. That’s a solid 8 years on the market for the C6 Corvette, but a far cry from the days when the Corvette would soldier on unchanged for more than a decade.
