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Car and Driver Speculates on 2013 Corvette C7

[1]The all-new Camaro is an undeniable sales success, going toe-to-toe in sales volume with the Ford Mustang and beating it for the first time in decades. But what about GM’s other sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette? The Corvette experienced its worst sales year in over fifty years in 2010 as the C6 platform continues to age, and there are no solid indications from GM about what’s coming next.

In the March issue of Car & Driver magazine [2], the print publication dishes out some details on the impending C7 Corvette, which they say should debut as a 2013 model.

Per C&D, the C7 Corvette will place a high emphasis on interior quality, a traditional weakness in the Corvette lineup. There will continue to be three models; base (perhaps called Gran Sport); Z06, and ZR1. Much speculation about the C7 focused on the Stingray concept known as Sideswipe, which included a split rear window. Car & Driver says that GM engineers will indeed be making a split-window C7.

Possibly the biggest news is that the Corvette will debut a new line of smaller-displacement V8 engines, though at launch the C7 will still have the 430 horsepower base engine, 505 horsepower Z06 powerplant, and 638 horsepower monster LS9. Down the road though, engine displacement is sure to shrink as fuel economy becomes a priority, and there is still a chance for a turbocharged V6. While losing displacement and cylinders might seem like a step in the wrong direction, we would remind you that historically GM has had considerable success with the formula with vehicles like the Buick GN, Turbo Trans Am, and GMC Syclone and Typhoon.