General Motors has denied plans it is considering a mid-engined layout for the next-generation Corvette.
Karl-Friedrich Stracke, GM’s VP of global vehicle engineering, also denied it was testing a V6 engine for Corvette, but said hybrid power “was an interesting idea”.
Last week, a senior Saab engineer revealed the firm had developed a dual-clutch transmission for a mid-engined Corvette and only the credit crunch prevented a mid-engined layout being used in the current car, which was launched in 2008.
Read the full story on the Saab engineer's Corvette claims
The revelation increased speculation of a mid-engined layout being used for the next Corvette in 2014. Stracke denied this and said, “I don’t know who made this public. I think it is wrong.”
A GM spokesman backed up Stracke’s comments, which were made to reporters in the US. “The rumours and speculation about the Corvette are just that. There is no mid-engine in the plans,” they said. The dual-clutch transmission was also ruled out for use in a Corvette.
Stracke says hybrid sports cars will never fully replace models with conventional powertrains, but believes hybrid power can improve both performance and economy.
“The customer always wants power,” he said. “That will not go away. You could keep a normal powertain configuration for a small amount of very excited car enthusiasts and turn 80 to 90 per cent of your sports car portfolio to hybridisation.”
