GM Chief Says Could Develop Hybrid Corvette
GM's next hybrid?
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)
