No one… yet. But GM’s chief engineer for the Corvette believes his meisterwerk is doomed. "High-performance vehicles such as this may actually be legislated out of existence," says Tadge Juechter. According an AP report published by WTOP, the GM engineer thinks cars such as the ZR1 “may be the last in a long tradition of Detroit performance cars.” With CAFE standards set to increase to 35 mpg by 2020, at least in theory, Juechter reckons cars like the ZR1 “could really be an endangered species.” Global Insight analyst Aaron Bragman says Juechter’s being a drama queen [paraphrase]."GM wants to sell big, high-performance, fun cars. And typically that's what Americans want to buy." Bragman thinks future muscle cars “may be powered by smaller engines or electric motors; but they won't die.” Well thank God for that.
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smaller engines? electric motors?
methinks someone needs to look up the definition of muscle car…
I think vehicles like this can continue to exist, as long as they sell in miniscule numbers to minimize ther impact on the manufacturer’s CAFE. However, I think that affordable, high volume performance cars (Mustang, Camaro, 350Z) are probably doomed, at least as we know them now.
As long as CAFE calculations come from averages, his statements are nothing more than FUD. Or GM could do just like BMW and Mercedes do and just pay the fines. They are certainly in the black and don’t seem to have a problem with them.
lose weight
take a small car, give it an engine that’s too big for the car – that’s the definition of a muscle car.
I’d like to see Chevy put a high performance diesel into the Corvette. Massive power, and relatively decent fuel economy, just like Audi, BMW and VW do.
Diesel = heavy. Lower power to weight ratio than any gasoline powered equivalent.
I’d like to see Chevy put a high performance diesel into the Corvette. Massive power, and relatively decent fuel economy, just like Audi, BMW and VW do.
No. Just no.
History repeats itself (sometimes, anyway). The Corvette ZL-1, with a 500hp all-aluminum 427, was the ZR-1’s equivalent in 1969. And performance quickly wilted due to CAFE, emmission regs, insurance and threats of government bans. Within a few years, you couldn’t buy a ‘Vette with more than 200hp. I think I smell a market top.
It’ll just be Malaise Era II when the new CAFE regs take hold. It took a while to make it through the first Malaise Era, but we’re in a golden age now. It’ll just be another cycle of poor performance in a muscle car body, but we’ll emerge on the other side with another golden age.
“I’d like to see Chevy put a high performance diesel into the Corvette. Massive power, and relatively decent fuel economy, just like Audi, BMW and VW do.
No. Just no.”
Why not? Muscle cars are about torque. Diesel delivers massive amounts of torque. Yeah, there’s the sound issue, but you’ll get used to that, especially if the only other choice is for that car to not exist.
The problem with muscle cars is the horse power inflation. Since when is 300HP not enough? The stupidity of the ever increasing power output is not really improving the fun factor of these cars but only provides spec sheet bragging rights. What’s more, the power ratings are misleading – you’ll find there is not that much of a 0-60 difference between a 300HP 335i and a 500HP Mustang GT500.
If a manufactirer can’t make a fun 250-300HP sports car then they shouldn’t be making sports cars at all.
Chevy could easily make a 4.8L 300 hp V8 base corvette that gets 32mpg hwy, maybe even 34, with Displacement on demand. Add low compression forged pistons a la the new ZR1 and twin turbos for 500+HP with minimal effect on EPA ratings.
My ’04 Corvette easily manages 32 mpg hwy at 75 mph…even with a blower on its stock 5.7L motor.
I agree – this is a golden age…but I do see value (okay…perhaps that’s not the right word…desirability) in 400 hp and above engines. I also understand that you don’t NEED it to have fun in a sports car, though.
Once again we find our elected representatives deciding what the country should be buying for cars.
@carguy
The problem with muscle cars is the horse power inflation. Since when is 300HP not enough?
I would say it’s because that’s only 30 hp more than a V-6 Camry. Horsepower is just easier to come by in production cars.
Just because muscle cars don’t fit your definition of “fun” doesn’t give you the right to judge others that do like them. Your first mistake is putting “muscle car” and “sports car” together, which is just wrong.
Juechter is realistically saying what everyone already knows the golden age of horsepower is on its way out for a multitude of reasons.
Which also means that if you want one, you should get one before its too late.
Its not who killed the muscle cars, its find one that will endure, hang on to it, get lucky, and make some $$$ with the car.
When Otis Chandler started buying anything and everything with a Hemi it seemed like a millionnaire playing out his fantasy, until he started selling them years later for huge sums of money.
carguy, there is never enough horsepower :-)
Hmm, I may have to trade my puny LS2 GTO for a ZR1…
Would it be so awful is GM “had” to offer a 45 MPG car to offset the Corvette. Personally, I think it would be great. Not only is it doable, but it needs to be done.
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Benjamin Jones
Hey horse power and fun….sounds great right??? ‘cept for one vilolation…”exhibition of speed” nope squeelin tires, no autobhan here, so what the excitement for anyway?? are you goin take that 60k toy with 500 hp to the local drag slip and see how much that engine will take until you blow it up on some 400 hp mitsu next to you that only cost the next guy 7k to build..Ha I think not! so in reality why waste the 6ok sportscar tech on our soil and get back to eliminating our dependence on getting suckered at the gas pump or at least by the oil robbing countries!
Electric motors will make fantastic musclecars eventually. Get enough electricity and you could have 1000HP/1000 torque easy. All at instant throttle.
Chevrolet needs to improve the quality of the Corvette before they worry about the CAFE regs.
400 HP and superb quality would be better than 500HP and what they have now.
Easy fix allow for any kind of muscle car development. Ditch CAFE and substitute GAS TAX.
The Vette get’s pretty good gas milage compared to all the trucks and suburban assault vehicles on the road anyway.
While “smaller engine” and “electric motor” aren’t what my ear appreciates in the same sentence with “muscle car” one also has to admit a truth: If muscle cars become synonymous with “outdated” “dinosaur” and “old tech” they will die as they did during the first gas crunch. But, they were revived in this new horsepower age when people successfully took on the challenge of squeezing enormous amounts power from smaller displacement engines with stricter smog controls.
Those who would prefer that engineers marry themselves to yesterday’s tech rather than see where new tech can take the muscle car…well…they don’t love muscle cars as much as they think the do, otherwise they wouldn’t prefer to see them die rather than evolve.
That’s stupid. GM is acting like a baby as usual and trying to scare people into going against FE legislation.
Supercars are built in such a low volume (2,000 annually for the ZR1) that they have hardly any effect on the CAFE average. Of course, if a company’s portfolio doesn’t have any profitable, efficient cars to support R&D for halo supercars… then they have a problem. That seems to be more GM’s issue.
GM spent SO much effort fighting FE regulation and is using this to mobilize pistonheads. Ask them how much they spent for supercar-specific legislation such as exemptions for small-volume, special purpose vehicles? Very little, I’d expect. They’re just “punishing” us in a sense for wanting better gas mileage by saying that if we want cleaner air, they’re going to take away our sports cars.