New Corvette Stingray Debuts at Detroit Auto Show

Touted "Best Corvette Ever" By GM

It has been touted the “King of American sports cars”  and after much anticipation, on the eve of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, during a special preview at the city's Russell Industrial Center, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was unveiled. The 2014 Corvette Stingray is the first all-new version in nine years. It’s expected to arrive in showrooms this fall.

Through the Corvette’s long history, only three models have ever bore the “Stingray” name: the mid-'60s second-generation model, the third-generation model '70s and into the '80s and now the seventh-generation (C7) 2014 model. Chevrolet states that it decided to revive the Stingray name for the 2014 model year because it is, quite simply, the best Corvette ever.

The first thing you will notice is that the new Corvette looks smaller, lighter and faster than previous models. That is because the new 2014 C7 is equipped with lightweight materials designed to help keep the sports car light.

The chassis is made out of an aluminum frame that is 57 percent stiffer and about 99 pounds lighter than the previous generation. Also, the seats are with magnesium frames, and the hood and roof are made of carbon fiber, shifting the center of mass lower and rearward. The body is now more aerodynamic.

While the new exterior design definitely adds a lot of zing to the new Corvette, under the hood will give you goose bumps! For the 7^th generation Vette, this bad boy is now equipped with the new 6.2-liter, direct-injected V-8 which will be capable of producing an estimated 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. Chevrolet estimatied that the new Stingray will be able to go from a 0-60 time under 4 seconds and has over 1G of cornering grip. Thanks to the new cylinder deactivation technology, Chevrolet is also claiming better fuel economy than any generation of Corvette before it.

The 2014 Corvette is mated to a seven-speed manual transmission that uses an Active Rev Matching technology very similar to that of the Nissan 370Z's. As the driver moves the shift lever into a gear, the cars internal computer adjusts the throttle to match the wheel speed for a smooth ratio change when the driver releases the clutch.

One fantastic upgrade to the next generation Corvette comes in the form of the new technology features. The C7 is equipped with a five-position drive selector that allows the drive to adjust 12 different vehicle systems including: throttle control, exhaust sound, magnetic adaptive suspension, economy, comfort, sport, track, and poor weather driving. Changing driving modes makes the Corvette's 8-inch LCD instrument cluster display information relevant to the driving style.

While GM didn’t go into detail as to what kind of infotainment system the new Corvette would feature, we're expecting some version of Chevrolet's MyLink system to come along with the 8-inch color touchscreen that occupies the center of the dashboard.

To make things even better, GM announced a Z51 package that adds an electronic limited-slip differential, an upgraded cooling systems for the differential and transmission, an upgraded aero package for high-speed stability, and more.

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray will arrive at dealerships during the third quarter of 2013. Pricing and packaging have not yet been finalized or announced.