The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible to debut in Geneva

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was engineered to compete with the best sports cars in the world and with the introduction of the C7 Corvette, General Motors hopes to increase export sales into markets including Europe and China. Convertible top options are a big must-have item in many foreign sports car segments so it makes good business sense to launch the drop top C7 Stingray at one of the key European auto shows. GM made a similar move in 2004 when they debuted the first C6 Corvette Convertible at the bit Swiss show.

While the 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray maintains its distinct American muscles, it is no secret that the hard lines of the 7th generation Corvette will likely appeal more to younger buyers who are purchasing the 2014 Corvette because of what it is – not because of what it is named. In the United States, the Corvette is a car that demands a great deal of respect in the sports car segment and while the Chevy 2 seater attracts all sorts of buyers, it is no secret that the new Corvette buyer is traditionally an older gentleman who is buying it because it is a Corvette. However, in other markets around the world, the Corvette cannot get by simply “because it is a Corvette”. With that in mind, General Motors designed the 2014 Corvette Stingray in a style that they believe will appeal to both American buyers and those across the pond.

This will certainly be a controversial decision – especially with those Americans who want to see the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible in person before they pre-order theirs – but in an era where the global sales race is almost as important as the domestic battle, this move doesn’t come as a huge shock.

Little is officially known about the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible but we can expect it to be mechanically identical to the new Stingray Coupe including the new 6.2L LT1 V8 and the buyer’s choice of a 6 speed automatic or 7 speed manual transmission. The image above on the right arrived on the internet last week and GM representatives stated that it did not come from the GM public relations. That doesn’t mean that these aren’t official images – it just means that GM didn’t officially introduce them. It could also mean that they are fake but there isn’t much shown in the picture of the 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible that couldn’t be a production reality.

While no top is shown in the artwork above on the right, spyshots captured of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible with the top in the upright position showed a cloth top; a feature that will offer some contrast from the removable middle roof section on the new 2014 Corvette Coupe.

Hopefully, the debut of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible will come with more information on the production model such as the exact horsepower and torque ratings for the new “base” Corvette. General Motors has been using an estimated figure of 450 horsepower and 450lb-ft of torque so those are the numbers that we have been going with since the C7 was introduced earlier this month. However, with some automakers recently launching performance vehicles with power ratings that were much higher than the preliminary figures – it wouldn’t be out of the question for the new Stingray Coupe and Convertible to have more than 450hp and 450tq.

The 2013 Geneva Motor Show launches on March 5th so it is only about six weeks until we should have more specifications and official images on the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible.

Source: Autoweek