Corvette's chief engineer: CAFE will make muscle cars an "endangered species"
Corvette's chief engineer, Tadge Juechter, tells the Kansas City Star that the muscle car could be an "endangered species" because of the new CAFE standard Bush signed into law Wednesday. GM, the parent company of Corvette, would have to make a 45 MPG car, explains Tadge, to offset supercars. The 2009 Corvette ZR1 - a $100,000, 620 horsepower car with a top speed of more than 200 MPH - could be the last of its kind because "high-performance vehicles such as this may actually be legislated out of existence" says Tadge.Sigh. It's always sad to read about the death of such a beautiful, majestic, natural creature. What do you think about the death of the muscle cars like the Mustang of Steve McQueen's 1968 movie Bullitt in the video above? Do you think polar bears are the real endangered species or should the Corvette be added to the endangered species list instead?
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[Source: Kansas City Star]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Froggy 1:27PM (12/20/2007)
oh, boo hoo... jees, "we need to make a better car. but we don't want too... stop pushing us to innovate" crybabies.
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Rex 1:45PM (12/20/2007)
"Kansis City Star" should be "Kansas City Star".
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Lascelles Linton 1:47PM (12/20/2007)
Rex, Changed. Thanks.
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Whopper 2:04PM (12/20/2007)
It's easy to stand on the sideline and criticize Froggy. Beyond pithy comments exactly what are you contributing?
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ug 4:56PM (12/20/2007)
How about an E-flex muscle car?
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Mulad 2:09PM (12/20/2007)
I'm sure the same thing was said back in the 1970s, yet we now have cars that are more powerful than ever, and far safer too. Yes, horsepower figures and 0-60 times might stagnate or slightly retreat for five years or so, but we'll soon be back breaking new records.
Of course, I also believe that supercars will be going electric soon. The Tesla Roadster and concepts like the Eliica have given a taste of what's possible for acceleration and speed when a well-engineered vehicle is produced.
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TIMMAH! 2:15PM (12/20/2007)
Yeah I agree with you on the electric supercars. Electric motors are capable of so much more on-demand, head-snapping torque, and you can manipulate the front/rear weight ratio and CG by strategic placement of batteries (something you can't do to the same degree with a ICE layout.) So it's going to be a whole new world and I think will usher in a new level of high performance we've not seen before.
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BlackbirdHighway 2:21PM (12/20/2007)
Isn't GM also working on something called the Volt, that would drive for the first 40 miles under battery power, and therefore get incredible gas mileage, which would offset the small number of high-end versions of the Corvette that they will sell?
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Pete 2:32PM (12/20/2007)
The muscle car will never go away, just change. Change may be painful if it is forced, and thats what we are seeing now.
As a pattern Detroit has been making the cheapest and simplest cars people are willing to buy, innovations are kept at a minimum. Had there not been legislation enforcing seat belts, fuel consumption, emissions etc. we would still be waiting for those things to happen. Detroit always whine about these "expensive" new laws but their dire predictions never come true, they cry wolf but there's no wolf.
They are too busy making profits to dare improve on their products in an innovative way and fight progress instead of embracing it.
In their defense I would have to say that they have to make more money than the foreign companies in order to pay for the ridiculous health care costs we have in the US. So perhaps we should blame Detroit's CAFE issues on the medical insurance business instead.
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Gary 2:30PM (12/20/2007)
Obviously they never heard of Tesla.
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Tony Belding 3:01PM (12/20/2007)
I think the definition of "muscle" might have to change -- again. I remember in the malaise days when the biggest engine in a new Camaro or Mustang was producing 220 HP. We have a long ways to retreat before we get back to that level.
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stevejust 3:16PM (12/20/2007)
well... the idea that they can't make a 45 mpg car when both Honda and Toyota have been making them for 8 years or so is what's getting me, not the fact that electric cars with 0 emissions can be fast. 'Cause fast and muscle car isn't synonmous. A Porsche is not a muscle car.
CAFE doesn't say that you can't make some cars that get bad gas mileage. It just says you've got to offset them with reasonable mileage cars. So GM are a bunch of crybaby idiots that are runining their company by not waking up to reality 8 years ago when they should have tried to compete then with Honda and Toyta's hybrid technology.
Oh big surprise, gas prices went up. Oh, big surprise, people actually do care about mileage. How totally unpredictable. If I'd have been CEO of GM 8 years ago, GM would be healthy are profitable.
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kert 3:38PM (12/20/2007)
Toyota FT-HS is another good example of what muscle cars will look like in the future. Not to mention something as exotic as WrightSpeed X1.
And just another day we saw electric Cobra, of all things.
If that aint some serious muscle, i dont know what is.
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Whopper 3:56PM (12/20/2007)
“As a pattern Detroit has been making the cheapest and simplest cars people are willing to buy, innovations are kept at a minimum. Had there not been legislation enforcing seat belts, fuel consumption, emissions etc. we would still be waiting for those things to happen. Detroit always whine about these "expensive" new laws but their dire predictions never come true, they cry wolf but there's no wolf.”
In the late ‘50’s Ford introduced optional seat belts and safety steering wheels. Consumers didn’t buy them and, after three years of trying Ford gave up. The list of innovative ideas that came out of Detroit is endless. Your statement is false and completely without merit. In short, you don’t know what you’re talking about!
“They are too busy making profits to dare improve on their products in an innovative way and fight progress instead of embracing it.”
Where have you been? Ford and GM have reported Billions in losses. Chrysler was purchased for less than ¼ the price Daimler paid for it because it was sinking itself and taking Daimler with it.
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MH 4:32PM (12/20/2007)
You do not need to retreat too much. For example: BMW 335d with 282hp, 580Nm of torque, 6s 0-62mph and still get near 40mpg. What do you want more?!!
Yes I know... a Tesla. But it's almost twice the price
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Dan 4:39PM (12/20/2007)
I don't believe Tadge for a second, even though I'm partial to Corvettes.
E85-capable cars are given a huge boost in their CAFE rating. Besides, the Corvette ZR1 should be even more powerful on E85 because they could run more boost from the supercharger.
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Kardax 4:43PM (12/20/2007)
If 35 MPG is the required average, they only need to sell a few 40+MPG cars to offset the low MPG of a muscle car. And, at $100,000, not very many such cars will need to be offset.
I think everyone's overreacting, here.
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Mik_Cal 4:58PM (12/20/2007)
Its the 45 mpg that's getting me...that should be a no brainer! How braindead is this guy? Crybaby is the word that comes to mind.
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Joe 4:59PM (12/20/2007)
Muscle cars are characterized by big power from big, naturally-aspirated displacement moving big cars, as well as big torque which is best applied in a straight line.
Muscle cars rely less on new technology and more on tweaking old ideas. I would venture to say muscle cars are already on the endangered species list, and have been. Mustang, Charger, and the coming Challenger are the only muscle cars I can think of off the top of my head.
I don't consider the Corvette to be a muscle car. The Corvette is a sports car. It is more refined than a muscle car, and really always has been. The FT-HS is a sports car as well as are most go fast cars of today. They rely on the latest technology to squeeze more power out of smaller displacement, utilizing turbo and super charging as well other higher tech methods of increasing power compared to simply increasing displacement. They also look at new technology in suspension and drivetrain to allow the power to get to the pavement more efficiently. Other examples include Evos, STIs, Solstice, Porsches, etc.
Supercars, as I define them, are the child of muscle and sports cars. Big displacement with the latest technology thrown into the mix = Ferrari, Lambo, etc.
Muscle cars are (sadly) on their way out, sports cars are coming in. Supercars will always be around.
However, with the new developments in sports car technologies, I think super and turbo charging will find a place in every car. Smaller turbo/supercharged engines making the same power as a bigger N/A engine, in combination with a hybrid drivetrain makes for a rather efficient vehicle. But first, the turbos and supers have to get cheaper/more reliable etc.
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Bill 5:17PM (12/20/2007)
Turbodiesel or electric motors will give you plenty of performance.
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