Corvette is secure , according to GM's CEO in interview

Might be 'secure' whatever that means. May not want to own one either if Obama's green initiatives force GM to put in a 4 cylinder and electric motor.

Vito

Sheeze, I'd hate to have gone a vacation and return to find that human resources had hired you as my helper!

Dude lay off the crack. Corvette, Chevy 1500, Cadillac Escalade, Malibu, etc are secure. They need to quit selling the crap. Hummers. Monte Carlos. GTO. Etc.

GTO??? Although not very pretty they are damn quick!!

I thought you were always on vacation.

That's the point. It's fast, but too much flash. It doesn't sell.

I saw a G6 last night. Not a bad looking car. But they can take all performance stuff and put it on a Malibu.

Nah, sometimes I get in the lap pool and actually do some work.

Yeah, it would just awful if Corvette were to shed 500 lb. or more, go with a mid-engine platform and smaller/alternative engines while retaining straight line performance and improving handling and responsiveness. If Corvette can't change from its current configuration it's dead. Pretty much a metaphor for GM.

Hmmm, having owned three mids, (a 914-6, a Fiero and an MR2) I like that idea. Got tired of that layout because, in those days, I did my tuning & repairs but didn't enjoy delving down into those damn mid-engine compartments.

The low polar moment and agility of a mid is great. Pontiac's death started on the drawing board with having to mount the engine way up high to accommodate the Chevy transaxle. That high CG in the ass-end made the trailing throttle issues too pronounced. Their selling price positioned it against far better iron for a 2-person vehicle that only carried one set of clubs.

How about this for our 2014 Corvette...

Mid-powertrain and loft it with two bodies in four versions:

1. All purpose carbon-fiber sports car with supercharged gasoline engines. One engine certifiable in the US, EPA & Cal. Another, "world-class" engine option for export-only, suitable for Europe, Asia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and some unidentified (?) country that quietly does "gray market" imports. The engines in the U.S. model and the export model would be 'easily swappable' :-) (There will be no ethics questions for this class session kiddies.) 2. An all-electric, fiberglass "sport-about" for showy, around-town driving with a 50-55 mile range and kick-ass acceleration. Just the thing for us old farts to tool through Leisure-World and Sun-City parking lots. (There should be a key-lock to enable full power. Using that the DMV or our grandchildren can actuate a limiter on performance when we get feeble--something akin to the performance key in the old ZR-1.) 3. A clean, direct-injection diesel with all sorts of silly features to make Barbara Boxer, Uncle Vito and Sal all cum to the party and join the cheering section. Call this is the "Grand Touring" critter. Fiberglass again. 4. A Fiberglas hybrid, mating the electric train with a small fossil-fuel engine to reduce the amount of battery weight in option #2 (above).

There you have it folks. With a couple of trim levels for each, A WHOLE CAR LINE!!!

OK Barak, I'm your guy to retool Bowling Green. Shitcan the conventional ideology, "Come the revolution comrades..." LOL!

Fritz may say that Corvette pays it's rent but it will only survive if there's a landlord present -- GM has gotta stay alive or Corvette will become another brokered acquisition of Volkswagen, Kia or Hyundai.

JM2cW

OK Vito the "nay-sayer" and Sal the "whatever:"

you each have a blank sheet of paper. Please be more creative that to just badge it with a Renault, vwwerk or Auto-Union brand!

Don't take more than 20 minutes on this. Turn in your papers tomorrow before the start of class. No whining. And no smoking of anything while doing your homework.

-- pj