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2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible headed for Geneva debut

While most of the world is still coming down from all the hype surrounding the debut of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month, we're already looking to the future. And according to Autoweek, the next chapter in the C7 story will unfold at the Geneva Motor Show in March. That's right, General Motors is reportedly using the Swiss stage as its venue to debut the Corvette Stingray convertible.
If this strikes you as odd, you aren't alone. After all, with a car that's such an American icon, we'd fully expect Chevrolet to unveil it here on our shores in either Chicago or New York. But according to Autoweek, GM is looking to boost export sales of its halo car, and since the C7 was engineered to compete with the world's best and brightest, showing it off in Geneva is somewhat of a smart move. What's more, those with sharp memories will recall that GM used the Geneva expo to debut the sixth-generation C6 Corvette convertible back in March 2004, so there's also a precedent.
Details surrounding the Corvette Stingray convertible are still slim, though we fully expect the 6.2-liter V8 and choice of either six-speed automatic or seven-speed manual transmissions to carry over unchanged. Prototypes spotted on the road showed the car fitted with a cloth convertible roof, as well.

GM marks 500 million vehicles

General Motors is marking a major global milestone, as 500 million vehicles have rolled off its assembly lines since the company's founding in 1908. To mark the occasion, the automaker is continuing to invest in production and offering a one-time discount to some customers. GM North America boss Alan Batey used the festivities to announce the Fairfax Assembly factory in Kansas as one of the sites earmarked for the company's $5.4 billion in upcoming investments. The plant will get $174 million of that money for new equipment and technology to build the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. Among the upgrades will be a shake-and-rattle booth that will simulate road conditions to find squeaks. To commemorate both the production milestone and the Fairfax plant, Batey and company CEO Mary Barra also gave away a 2016 Malibu to a wounded Iraqi war veteran, and the two execs announced that in the third week in May all GM employees can share a one-time customer appreciation discount with friends to help get them into the automaker's products. Barra also gave a speech to the workers there about some of the other milestone's in the company's history, which you can read below. Innovation on the Line: GM Manufacturing Milestones Many of General Motors' most important innovations have occurred behind the scenes, in its manufacturing facilities. Concepts such as changeover, flexible assembly, automation, computer simulation, machine vision and robotics were developed at GM. Over the decades these innovations have helped enable improvements in vehicle quality, efficiency and competitiveness. 1901: Ransom Olds' famous Curved Dash Oldsmobile, designed with simplicity, reliability and value in mind, was the first American car built in a factory designed specifically for automobiles and in standardized volume production. GM acquired Oldsmobile in 1908. 1908: Cadillac wins the Dewar Trophy, Europe's most prestigious award for precision and excellence in manufacturing, by demonstrating the auto industry's highest standards for precision and interchangeability of parts by disassembling three Cadillacs and mixing the parts randomly before reassembling and driving them before a contingent of judges. 1922: GM hires William Knudsen to lead Chevrolet's turnaround. Knudsen implements flexible mass production, which helps Chevrolet incorporate annual styling changes and take market share from Ford.

Bob Lutz builds the case for a mid-engined Corvette

Rumors of a mid-engine Corvette are like automotive industry folklore at this point. Every once in a while, news pops up that it might be happening or is under development, but nothing actually ever comes to fruition as something people can actually buy. The latest spy shots strongly suggest a mid-engine 'Vette is in the cards, yet again, possibly for 2018. Now, an op ed by former General Motors executive (and definite performance car fan) Bob Lutz in Road & Track gives the inside scoop on the history of one of these proposals and lays out how to make it happen today. According to Lutz, the company's engineers believed the C6 ZR1 was at the limit for front-engine, rear-wheel drive performance in that package, and the only solution was to move the powerplant behind the driver. Lutz even got then CEO Rick Wagoner on board. The scheme made it at least as far as clay models for mid-engine versions of the 'Vette and Cadillac XLR. Eventually, a lack of money got in the way, though, bringing the project to an end. Lutz puts a lot of faith in GM's current leaders, especially Mary Barra and Mark Reuss. He thinks the chances of a mid-engine 'Vette happening this time are better than 50 percent. The model, rumored to be named Zora, could offer over 700 horsepower in an ultra lightweight body and be priced at about $120,000 to "suck the doors off everybody." Head over to Road & Track to get some insights from this highly respected and entertaining auto industry veteran. Related Video: