3. The hail mary play
The worst-case scenario (apart from doing nothing and letting Corvette die in 2020) calls for the C7 to be based off a new version of the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky Kappa architecture. If GM determines no cars should average much less than 35 mpg to meet that for CAFE, this may be the last way out. In truth, however, our sources say it's not considered a serious alternative. Yet.
The current Kappas certainly won't make it: The cars are too heavy and too thirsty to make much headway over the current Corvette. Solstice GXP/Sky Redline's 260-horsepower turbo four makes 22-percent-more horsepower than the 1984 C4, but they have as little as a 190-pound weight advantage over the C6. They average 22.2 mpg combined, not much better than the LS3 manual's 19.3 mpg, and are almost two seconds slower than a Z51 to 60 mph.
The naturally aspirated 2.4-liter Kappas are even further off the pace than the turbos. They're more like three seconds slower to 60 mph than a regular Z51 and run the quarter mile in mid-15s instead of mid-12s.
It makes sense because: It keeps the Corvette name alive in a carbon-constrained world.
The downside: It would be a Corvette in name only.
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