C7 Corvette to get All Wheel Drive System?

By
Keith Cornett
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6
2883

Since the GM-UAW agreement became available last week, tons of information usually kept close to the chest has been laid out for all to see and it seems as though a new nugget of information relating to the C7 Corvette is revealed every day. Earlier this week we read about plans to move the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky to the Bowling Green Assembly Plant sometime after 2011. Yesterday we learned that the C7 Corvette could be offered with a dual-clutch transmission and today’s news? All Wheel Drive!

GM and Sweden’s Haldex already have a performance AWD system dubbed XWD that debuted on the Saab 9-3. The AWD system features an electronic differential and can send up to 85% of torque to an individual wheel to prevent slippage, whether it’s from a fast corner or when trying to put power to the ground.

Various accounts state that engineers have been seen testing a GM prototype with a very wide rear track, which is thought to be a test mule for the next generation Corvette.

We are still five years away from the production of the C7 Corvette and I am already dizzy trying to keep up with the details. If all these rumors are correct, in 2012 you’ll be looking at a kappa-based mid-engine Corvette with all wheel drive and some fancy Shmancy dual-clutch transmission.

Yep, that sounds like a Corvette to me…

UPDATE:

Thanks to Wikipedia, I now know what a dual clutch transmission is:

A twin-clutch gearbox or dual clutch transmission (DCT) is a semi-automatic transmission with separate clutches for odd and even gears. The outer clutch drives the odd numbered gears and reverse, while the inner clutch drives the even numbered gears. Shifts can be accomplished without interrupting power, by applying the engine’s torque to one clutch just as the engine’s torque is being disconnected from the other clutch. Since the synchronizers that select an odd gear can be moved while driving the car in an even gear, and vice versa, DCT’s have been configured which shift faster than Formula One cars and other single-clutch AMT’s (automated-manual transmissions, a.k.a. single-clutch semi-automatics); the shift can also be made smoother and more suitable for street-driving than a single-clutch AMT is capable of.


Source:
MotorAuthority.com

Related:
Late Night Speculation: C7 Corvette Moving to Kappa Platform?



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6 COMMENTS

  1. Here’s a good vid from Fifth gear illustrating the difference between the Dual-clutch and standard gearbox in an Audi TT.

    I read up on the Awd system that was mentioned on Autoblog, and it sounds like a real state of the art system.

    http://www.haldex-traction.com/

  4. Nelson/Aaron:

    Thanks for the links. Loved that audi video. I believe the dual clutch would be a perfect fit for Corvette. Its too bad we have to wait until 2012 though!

    Thanks again to both for your input!

    Keith

  5. All wheel drive Corvette, that will be interesting to say the least. That is just as interesting as the mid engine idea for the Corvette. Time will tell on both of these and you can bet that the news of either will be plastered all over Smokinvette.com.

  6. Why, oh why is Corvette so late with All Wheel Drive, and double clutch? What about paddle shifting? Porsche and Audi are decades ahead of Corvette in this respect. This means they’ve had time to improve and refine these features. Many Ameicans are buying Porsches and Audis in spite of the prices being higher than the Corvette. You’re late, Corvette. Okay, charge more for a Vette with these features. You’d be surprised how many Americans would buy the AWD version. It is well known that a car is much, much safer on wet, snowy and icey roads when equipped with AWD. Especially computer managed AWD. I wouldnt buy a Corvette. I’d buy a safer AWD Porsche, AWD Audi, AWD BMW, AWD Mercedes Benz, or the AWD Lamborghini. Or even a Bentley Continenal GT AWD. All of these cars are equipped with paddle shift AND automatic drive. What happened to Corvette? Let’s say you live in one of the northern states or Canada, would you want your son or daughter to drive around in a rear wheel dfive sports car or in a much safer All Wheel Drive sports car. The biggest market, by far, for all of the above European cars is the USA! Know that. A home produced Corvette with all the above features would still cost less than the European imports.

    Does GM think that Americans are stupid, that they want only power cars (Corvettes) without the safer AWD and steering wheel paddle shifters? GM needs to take a look at the sales of these safer European cars in their own country.

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