GM flexes engineering muscle with radical Corvette overhaul

TUSTIN, Calif. -- One of the biggest challenges for the eighth-generation Corvette -- the first production model with the engine behind the driver -- doesn't have anything to do with how fast the car can reach 60 mph or carve up a corner.

The 2020 Corvette Stingray looks to be one of the most technically advanced vehicles General Motors has built since it tested the world's first fuel cell vehicle in 1966 and, five years later, built the propulsion and suspension system for the Lunar Rover that drove on the moon.

The new Corvette -- introduced here Thursday -- is a barometer of GM engineering in an era of rapidly changing technology. It will provide a strong test of GM's product development system, its testing and validation methods, and its quality control processes.

If the Corvette launches cleanly with no technical issues from adopting GM's new wire-reducing digital electrical architecture, its advanced lightweight, mixed-material chassis that uses die-cast aluminum parts made in an engine factory, the electric brakes and other innovations, it could bode well for GM as it pushes closer to production of fully autonomous vehicles, which will share some of the same technologies with the new Corvette.

And most important, the retooled Corvette's computer systems, and the speed at which they communicate internally and externally, will determine how seamlessly GM transitions to autonomous vehicles and the vast amount of data processing they require.

GM will begin producing the 2020 Corvette late this year at its Bowling Green, Ky., plant. Since 2015, GM has invested $439 million to retool the factory to build the midengine Corvette. In addition to new production equipment, the plant is equipped with a new paint shop and a low-volume engine production facility called the Performance Build Center, which was previously in suburban Detroit.

"Corvette has always represented the pinnacle of innovation and boundary pushing at GM," GM President Mark Reuss said in a statement. "The traditional front engine reached the limit of its performance, necessitating the new layout. In terms of comfort and fun, it still looks and feels like a Corvette, but it drives better than any vehicle in Corvette history."

At the car's formal introduction late Thursday, at an old military aircraft hangar, Chevrolet officials ticked off a long list of high-tech items featured in the new Corvette.

They include:

• A new version of Chevrolet's classic small-block V-8 engine. This one retains the 6.2-liter displacement of the previous motor, but has a new block that lowers the crankshaft an inch to mate to the transaxle. The layout helps improve handling, GM says. The naturally aspirated engine is rated at 495 hp and 470 pound-feet of torque. When the Corvette is equipped with an optional performance package, it can propel the car to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds -- the fastest base-model Corvette in history. GM did not mention any future engines in statements released before the media event. However, as part of the plant investment at Bowling Green, a new engine line for the twin-turbo "Blackwing" Cadillac V-8 has been installed. It's possible that higher-performance models of the Corvette could get a version of that engine.
• Chevrolet's first eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, a gearbox manufactured by Tremec, that allows the driver to shift the car manually or drive it as an automatic. "The performance shift algorithms are so driver-focused, they can sense when you are doing spirited driving, regardless of driving mode, and will hold lower gears longer for more throttle response," said Tadge Juechter, Corvette executive chief engineer. No manual transmission will be available at launch -- a first for the Corvette in decades.
• A reengineered suspension system that features coil over dampers, revised electric steering and the Corvette's first electric brake system, which eliminates the vacuum-powered brake booster. That has been replaced with an electronic unit that can be tuned and adjusted for different driving conditions. Other suspension features include a system that automatically raises the front of the car by about 1.5 inches to protect the lower bodywork from damage by potholes, speed bumps and steep driveways. It can be programmed to operate through GPS and can store as many as 1,000 locations.
• The digital vehicle platform that is the bedrock for GM's future electronics technologies. GM says it reduces wiring and allows for faster signal transmission between different vehicle systems. Vehicles that use the new electrical architecture can be updated via over-the-air programming, similar to how Tesla rolls out new model features.
• A chassis constructed using the mixed-material process introduced on the Cadillac CT6 and then used in high volume on the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. With mixed materials, GM engineers use different metals of varying thicknesses in different parts of the chassis -- the right metal in the right amount in the right place. The approach reduces weight but increases strength. The new Corvette uses what GM calls the Bedford Six. They are six high-pressure, die-cast aluminum components that minimize the number of joints in the chassis. Fewer joints yields a stiffer body, which improves handling, especially under strenuous track conditions. The aluminum parts are made at GM's Bedford, Ind., powertrain plant.
• Significant weight savings from new materials. The front and rear tubs and dashboard are molded from ultralightweight fiberglass and proprietary resin. GM says the material is so light that it floats in water. The new Corvette also has a carbon-fiber curved rear bumper beam, an industry first, GM says. The lightest 2019 Corvette checked in at 3,298 pounds. The entry-level 2020 model is slightly heavier at 3,366 pounds.

The 2020 Stingray's midengine configuration gave GM design chief Mike Simcoe's team the opportunity to make the biggest changes to the Corvette -- inside and out -- since the car was introduced in 1953.

Simcoe says the new exterior design is inspired by fighter jets and Formula One race cars. But the car's aerodynamic shape also helped dictate the interior's styling. First, because there is no engine between the front wheels, the cockpit has been moved forward by 16.5 inches over the outgoing Corvette. Ultrathin air conditioning vents help lower the instrument cluster, which contains a 12-inch reconfigurable display.

A long strip of buttons, between the seats on the center console, controls the seats, HVAC system and other items. Customers can choose from three types of seats, those designed for street driving to full-on competition seats for track use. The interior is decked out in cut-and-sew leather, real metal inlays, stainless steel speaker grilles and optional carbon-fiber trim.Unlike many other two-seat cars, the new Corvette has what appears to be reasonable cargo room -- and that could prove to be a major advantage over cramped roadsters and coupes battling for sales in a market that is shifting to SUVs, pickups and crossovers. The car has two trunks and can transport two golf bags or luggage. Cargo room totals 12.6 cubic feet.

An all-new Corvette is rare. For 66 years the car has been built basically the same way --- with the engine up front, the transmission in the middle and drive axle in the rear -- and with the body mounted to the frame. There have been several iterations of the car's underpinnings over the years, and GM has tinkered a few times with a midengine layout, but none ever made production.

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Despite the major technical changes, there's no guarantee the car will be a profit-making vehicle for GM. Sports car sales have collapsed. Even inexpensive two-seaters, such as the Mazda MX-5 Miata, have struggled. Through June, Porsche has sold just 4,620 911s in the U.S. The budget Porsche 718 has fared even worse with 2,155 sold through June. The highest-volume Porsche is a crossover, the Macan, with U.S. sales of 9,711 this year.

"Corvette mobilizes a passionate fan base but it's a small group and they don't necessarily represent the next generation of Chevrolet customers," said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst with Edmunds. "Moving to a midengine format shows Chevy isn't afraid to take risks to keep Corvette relevant, but you have to wonder if it will be enough to excite younger buyers."

Chevrolet dealers in the U.S. sold 9,731 Corvettes in the first half of the year, down roughly 5 percent over the same 2018 period.

Suburban Detroit Chevrolet dealer Paul Stanford of Les Stanford Chevrolet in Dearborn, Mich., has collected 160 deposits for the 2020 Corvette through Wednesday.

He said the car has the potential to draw buyers from the Porsche 911 and other more expensive sports cars. Stanford believes GM will price the new model within a few thousand dollars of the outgoing model -- $56,995 with destination -- making it a bargain among high-performance sports cars.

"They are going to make it affordable," said Stanford, who is on the Chevrolet dealer advisory board. "That's hugely important to the everyday buyer who we've come to know. The Corvette has always been a value proposition in the market. I am honestly thinking we are going to see improved sales.

"I've seen the car," he said Wednesday. "It's mind-blowing."

Les Stanford Chevrolet was among the nation's top three dealers in Corvette sales last year.

And for the first time in Corvette history, the car will be manufactured in right-hand drive, opening up exports markets in such places as Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia. That tactic has worked well for Ford, which boosted volumes of the latest Mustang by adding right-hand drive versions.