Not sure if the chief engineer of Corvette represents GM but here's an article...


GM: Emission Law May Hamper Muscle Cars
Thursday December 20, 4:05 am ET
By Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer
GM Says Tougher Emissions Regulations Could Bring an End to Muscle Cars Like New Corvette

DETROIT (AP) -- When General Motors Corp. pulls the cover off a new supercharged version of the Corvette at the Detroit auto show next month, it will unveil a performance car designed to rival or better even the fastest, most expensive exotic cars from Europe.

But the Corvette's chief engineer says the 2009 Corvette ZR1 may be the last in a long tradition of Detroit performance cars, endangered by stronger federal fuel economy regulations and limits on carbon dioxide emissions.

"High-performance vehicles such as this may actually be legislated out of existence," Tadge Juechter said at a recent showing of the ZR1, which is designed to have around 620 horsepower.

President Bush on Wednesday signed into law legislation that will bring more fuel-efficient vehicles into auto showrooms and require wider use of ethanol, calling it "a major step" toward energy independence and easing global warming.

The legislation requires automakers to increase fuel efficiency by 40 percent to an industry average 35 miles per gallon by 2020.

But Juechter said to sell one of the Chevrolet supercars, GM would need to offset that with cars that get 45 mpg.

"It could really be an endangered species," he said.

Aaron Bragman, an auto analyst with the consulting firm Global Insight, said predicting the death of the muscle car might be premature.

The Corvette, he said, is fuel efficient when compared with its competitors. Although fuel economy figures weren't released for the ZR1, the current 505-horsepower Corvette ZO6 gets an estimated 15 mpg in the city and 24 on the highway, according to GM.

The ZR1, he said, gets around the same mileage as a Chevrolet pickup truck, and GM won't be getting out of the pickup business because of gas mileage standards.

"I think it's a little over-dramatization," Bragman said. "GM wants to sell big, high-performance, fun cars. And typically that's what Americans want to buy."

Performance cars of the future may be powered by smaller engines or electric motors, he said, but they won't die.

The ZR1 will have a top speed of more than 200 mph, driven by an all-new supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine. It has 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels and a suspension tuned to provide extraordinary cornering grip, GM said.

The car has a carbon-fiber hood, fenders and roof for weight savings, and its huge carbon-ceramic brake rotors give it great stopping power, the company said.

The ZR1 will cost around $100,000 and probably will go on sale next summer.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/071220/muscle_cars.html

 

The engines that go into the Corvette and Pontiac G8 are based on the high volume engines that go into trucks. Fuel economy work that helps bring the smallblock V8 mileage up (such as AFM) is developed for the trucks and can trickle down to the cars. If not for the trucks, that engineering work would have to be amortized across a much smaller volume.

By itself, this doesn't seem like a huge factor. If the Corvette and G8 V8 cost another $1500, it doesn't seem like they'd just go away.

If it turns out in 2020 that no one wants gas misers (like in 1995), then GM might have to sell money-losing cars for each Corvette/G8 it makes. That would also have to be built into the price. But predicting the extent of that effect accurately would require a pretty good crystal ball.

So I recommend everyone note the use of the word "May" in the title of that article and realize that "May" also implies "May Not"

I think a recession would hurt more than these fuel economy rules would.

 

Corvette only sells 30,000 cars. As long as they can sell 30,000 Chevy Volts the Corvette will be ok.

ZR1 is only going to be ~1000 cars a year.

Maybe the next special edition Corvette should use GMs new 4.5L Diesel.

People thought 27.5 mpg by 1985 CAFE goal would be the end of the Corvette and now look were we are today. The Domestic fleet is averaging 29mpg+ GM just put out a 650HP Vette, the fastest, most powerful ever.

Gas prices will hurt V8's more than CAFE. Worse case come 2020 is that gas cost $10-$20 a gallon and the Corvette becomes a Tesla like Lithium Ion powered sports car, it would probably be lighter, faster, and handle better than the current Z06 too.

 

The ridiculous new CAFE law will succomb to the same rude dose of reality as the man-made-global-warming hoax. Both will be gutted by a realization, IMAO within ten years from now, that the SUN is the major cause of global warming. Not us humans. See http://www.weatherquestions.com/Roy-...al-warming.htm for details.

We truly are living in the golden age of modern performance vehicles. Personally though, I seriously doubt it will be coming to an end soon, unless we run away and hide from the scourge of terrorism - which actually may have more long-term impact on energy prices than any of this other 'carbon-footprint' hogwash.

 

Corvette may be ok, however I am concerned this might impact the top dog Camaro. Remember GM has said Camaro needs to be a volume seller to succeed. If it doesn't help GM's CAFE numbers, what then?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the reason the third gen was initially launched with an optional 4-cylinder because GM feared predicted changes in CAFE? And when those changes didn't happen, or at least were scaled back, that's when the 4-cylinder was dropped? (Circa 1983?)

Along that vein, would a turbo-Ecotec/A6 make a difference if it were offered in the 5th gen? Namely, would it have enough grunt to make the beast sporty, yet get enough mpg to help the CAFE requirements? Better still, would such a combination be worthy of the Camaro name?

 

A Camaro with the Solstice GXP powertrain would be better than the 3400 or 3800 in the last generation.

 

Would a Camaro with the Solstice GXP powertrain get much better mileage than the 3.6? The Solstice GXP gets 19/28 and the CTS with the 3.6 DI gets 17/26. Wouldn't the heavier Camaro likely be around the same mileage? I guess it would be interesting to see.

I definitely think that the Solstice GXP powertrain would be more of a true "high performance" powertrain than the 3.4 or 3.8. But if you end up with near the same mileage, the 304 horse 6 seems like a better buy than the 260 horse 4.

 

Camaro in general needs to be a volume seller. V8-powered Camaros don't. The V6 model(s) should balance out the V8.

 

While I hope GM and the other makes don't get too scared I think it will cause many of them to use money that could go into faster Camaro's, Mustangs, Vipers, Challengers and Vettes into making the SUV/Trucks get better mileage. I don't think the muscle car will die because of this legislation and are certainly more susceptible to high gas prices or insurance rates.

 

I don't know if this will be true or not. The V6 and V8 will probably be pretty close together on Mileage. The 4th Gens are within a couple MPG of each other as are the current V6 and V8 Mustangs. The V6 might get better mileage, but probably not double the mileage to "balance out" the V8s. Of course, GM could make huge improvements to V6 mileage by the time the legislation goes into effect, which could prove you right. And I hope they do!

 

Funny, years ago, they used to complain that cutting down the rainforests would cause a rise in global CO2 levels. You never hear that anymore. Hmmmmm

 

Both Lutz and Stefanyshyn had mentioned that turbo Ecotecs were being considered/tested for the Zeta line. From what Lutz said, the issue there wasn't the MPG, (I remember the insinuation was that it got improved MPG), the issue was cost. An intercooled, turbo Ecotec added IIRC, $1-$2K, over a NA V6.

 

I can believe that. What about a high compression, small turbo with quick spin-up and no intercooler. If that got better mileage at close to the same cost as the HFV6, it would probably be a win with the new CAFE rules.

Maybe something like a 2.4l, 210hp, 210tq engine. If they can drop the weight a bit -- say down to 3700 pounds, while such a car would not appeal to muscle car fans, it would be plenty of power for most of the population -- about as quick as a 2000 BMW 528i.

 

grandfather a hipo engine into future cars.

 

Assuming the Camaro comes in at an acceptable weight, I think a well thought out turbo Ecotec package for it would be pretty neat. There would have to be a purpose for it's being though, ie., measurably better fuel efficiency than a V6/V8.

It sounds like Hyundai likes the business plan of a turbo 4 as base engine on their upcoming Genesis.