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July 19, 2019 11:13 AM

GM continues testing new technology with Corvette

Richard Truett
Automotive News
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    General Motors Co.
    Chevrolet introduces the 2020 Corvette Stingray July 18 in Tustin, Calif. While the automaker is not releasing any specifics on the resin involved in parts, it says a composite used in different parts of the car is "so light it can float."

    One of the biggest challenges for the eighth-generation Corvette — the first production model of General Motors Co.'s iconic sports car 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 in Tustin on July 18 — 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, it could bode well for GM as it pushes closer to production of other highly technical cars, including fully autonomous vehicles, which will share some of the same technologies with the new Corvette.

    The Corvette, which provided the first major breakthrough for composites when it first launched with a fiberglass body, is continuing its focus on new materials.

    While GM is not providing any specifics, it pointed out that the 2020 Stingray will gain significant weight saving from material choices.

    That includes what GM calls an industry first carbon fiber curved rear bumper beam, putting the composite into a structural part.

    In addition its front and rear trunk tubs and dashboard are molded using an ultra-lightweight "float" made from glass fiber and a proprietary resin.

    GM has not specified what resin it is using but said the material is "so light that it can actually float in water."

    The new entry-level model of the 2020 Corvette will be 3,366 pounds, just a bit lighter than the 2019 version, which GM says was the lightest Corvette ever, at 3,298 pounds.

     

    All-new interior

    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.

    The Corvette also will offer either "real aluminum or real carbon fiber" for console and door trim plates.

    General Motors Co.
    Chevrolet introduced the 2020 Corvette Stingray July 18 in Tustin, Calif. While the automaker is not releasing any specifics on the resin involved in parts, it says a composite used in different parts of the car is "so light it can float."
    Nuts and bolts

    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 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 yield a stiffer body, which improves handling, especially under strenuous track conditions. The aluminum parts are made at GM's Bedford, Ind., powertrain plant.

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