2015 Corvette Stingray to Offer Eight-Speed Automatic

Paddle-shift gearbox rivals dual-clutch performance, enhances efficiency

An eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission will be offered in the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray for 2015, enhancing the performance and efficiency of the 2014 North American Car of the Year. Designed and built by GM, the new transmission delivers world-class shift times that rival the best dual-clutch designs.

The all-new, GM-designed 8L90 eight-speed is expected to contribute up to 5-percent greater efficiency, when compared to the previous six-speed automatic. EPA fuel economy test results are pending and will be announced later. It also makes the Corvette Stingray one of the few sports cars to offer the choice of a conventional manual transmission or an eight-speed automatic.

“Corvette Stingray’s new eight-speed automatic delivers the comfort and drivability of a true automatic transmission, as well as lightning-fast shifts and the manual control that enhance the performance-driving experience,” said Bill Goodrich, assistant chief engineer for eight-speed automatic transmissions. “It was designed to enhance the Stingray’s driving experience, with performance on par with dual-clutch designs, but without sacrificing refinement.”

The available 8L90 transmission is based on the same eight-speed automatic that will be offered on the supercharged 2015 Corvette Z06, but with unique clutch and torque converter specifications matched to the torque capacity of the Stingray’s LT1 6.2L naturally aspirated engine.

For performance driving, the transmission offers full manual control via steering wheel paddles. A new transmission-control system and unique algorithms deliver shift performance that rivals the dual-clutch/semi-automatic transmissions found in many supercars – but with the smoothness and refinement that comes with a conventional automatic fitted with a torque converter.

The transmission controller analyzes and executes commands 160 times per second. Wide-open throttle upshifts are executed up to eight-hundredths of a second quicker than those of the dual-clutch transmission offered in the Porsche 911.

Smaller steps between gears, compared to the previous six-speed automatic, keep the engine within the sweet spot of the rpm band, making the most of its horsepower and torque to optimize performance and efficiency.

With four gearsets and five clutches, creative packaging enables the new eight-speed automatic to fit the same space as the previous six-speed automatic. Extensive use of aluminum and magnesium make it more than eight pounds, or 4 kg, lighter than the six-speed. Design features that reduce friction contribute to the expected 5-percent greater efficiency.

The 8L90 is built at GM’s Toledo, Ohio, transmission facility.

Chevrolet to Introduce 2015 Corvette Z06 at Detroit Show

Most-capable Corvette ever will lead industry’s broadest range of performance cars



Chevrolet will introduce the 2015 Corvette Z06 next month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It will be the most track-capable Corvette ever, designed to deliver supercar levels of performance through unique powertrain, chassis and aerodynamic features.

The Corvette Z06 will complete Chevrolet’s performance car lineup, which will also see the addition of the Corvette Stingray Convertible, Camaro Z/28 and SS sedan.

“Chevrolet is America’s favorite performance car brand, and for 2014 we are going to offer enthusiasts more choices than ever before,” said Alan Batey, senior vice president, Global Chevrolet. “No other manufacturer will be able to match the breath of performance cars from Chevrolet.”

Chevrolet sells one out of four performance cars in 2013
For the first 11 months of 2013, Chevrolet has accounted for about 25 percent of all performance car sales in the U.S. as Corvette and Camaro continue to lead their respective segments.

Corvette outsold its closest competitor, the Porsche 911, for the first 11 months of 2013. This is all the more remarkable given Corvette production was halted for six months as the Bowling Green, Ky., assembly plant prepared to build the 2014 Corvette Stingray. In November, Corvette sales jumped 229 percent year-over-year, as demand for the new Stingray continues to outstrip supply.

Camaro also outsold its closest competitor, the Ford Mustang, for the first 11 months of 2013. Camaro enters December with a 4,093-unit lead in total sales. More importantly, Camaro has an estimated 10,000-unit lead in retail sales. If that lead continues through the end of the year, 2013 will be the fourth consecutive year Camaro has been the best-selling sports car in the U.S.

Four new performance cars for 2014
The sales lead for Chevrolet is expected to accelerate as the brand adds four new performance cars to the lineup, including:

• First full calendar year of sales of the 2014 Chevrolet SS sedan: The all-new SS, which went on sale in October, is based on a race-proven, global platform that underpins the Camaro, Caprice police vehicle and, in Australia, the high-performance Holden VF Commodore. Elements including lightweight aluminum hood and deck lid panels help give the SS a nearly 50/50 weight balance, while the performance of its 6.2L V-8 – rated at 415 horsepower – and six-speed automatic transmission enable 0-60 mph acceleration in five seconds flat.

• First full year of sales of the 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible: The Stingray Convertible, which goes on sale this month, shares identical chassis tuning and performance technologies with the coupe, with structural changes limited to accommodations for the folding top and repositioned safety belt mounts. As such, the Stingray Convertible requires no sacrifices for a drop-top driving experience, offering up to 460 horsepower /465 lb-ft with the available performance exhaust system; capable of more than 1 g in cornering; and sprinting from 0-60 in under 4 seconds.

• Arrival of the 2014 Camaro Z/28: The Camaro Z/28, which arrives in dealerships in the second quarter of 2014, will be the most track-capable Camaro ever. Recently, the Z/28 logged a 7:37.40 lap on Germany’s legendary Nürburgring road course, a time comparable with some of the world’s most prestigious sports cars – and the Z/28 lap was completed in the rain.

• Debut of the 2015 Corvette Z06: The all-new Corvette Z06 will make its public debut at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. Production is expected to begin in late 2014.