The new Chevrolet Corvette will lose its manual transmission. Chief engineer Tadge Juechter confirmed to Western journalists that such a transmission option will not appear. The reason is low buyer interest and significant development costs.
In a conversation with Motor Authority, Juechter noted that it was not possible to find a contractor to develop a manual gearbox for the mid-engine Corvette. "It all comes down to small production volumes and the high cost of the matter," the engineer explained, "the trend is fading." An additional factor was weak demand: only 15 percent of owners opted for the manual Corvette C7, mainly on versions like the Z06, where there was no alternative.
Thus, the new Corvette will get exclusively an eight-speed preselective transmission developed in partnership with Tremec. First gear has a higher ratio for more vigorous starts, second through sixth are "short" gears, and seventh and eighth are designed to reduce fuel consumption. Shifting is via buttons, plus paddle shifters. Pressing both paddles simultaneously disengages all clutches, providing a "neutral" effect.
The eighth-generation Corvette has switched to a mid-engine layout for the first time and said goodbye to transverse composite leaf springs in the suspension. Behind the seats now sits a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 LT2 producing 502 horsepower and 637 Nm of torque. Acceleration to 100 km/h for such a sports car takes less than three seconds, but the top speed is yet to be measured by Chevrolet engineers. Later, the lineup is expected to include a turbocharged LT7 version with two superchargers and a hybrid setup.
