GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Chevrolet confirms Corvette Convertible

Chevrolet has confirmed it will stage the global debut of its all-new Corvette Stingray Convertible at the Geneva motor show on March 5.

Both the drop-top Corvette and the seventh-generation Corvette coupe upon which it’s based are expected to go on sale in North America in the second half of this year, but General Motors now says it has no plans to produce a right-hand drive version of either derivative .

No official images have been released – apart from a stylised ‘gesture’ graphic - but the topless Stingray was previewed by an unofficial image that surfaced on the internet in January.

The design of the Mk7 Corvette was overseen by Australian Mike Simcoe in his capacity as head of North American design for GM, before he returned to Australia to take up his current role as Executive Director of Design for GM International Operations.

Nor has GM released any information about its convertible supercar, except to say it will “deliver the same balance of technology, design and performance introduced on the coupe in January in Detroit”.

That means it will be powered by the same new 335kW/610Nm 6.2-litre V8 engine as the hard-top, which is claimed to sprint to 100km/h in less than four seconds.

While the new coupe is fitted with a number of weight-saving carbon-fibre panels and aluminium components to lower fuel consumption and increase performance, the convertible will likely be only slightly heavier and therefore marginally slower and thirstier.

“Every Corvette is designed at the outset as an open car,” said Corvette Chief Designer Tadge Juechter. “The new Stingray is no different, with the coupe and convertible designed to excel in any situation – be it your daily commute, a drive across the continent, or charging through twisting back roads.”

Chevrolet last week announced it will donate the first retail production model at the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach collector car auction to benefit the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

The first retail production version of the 2014 Corvette Stingray coupe – featuring a vehicle identification number ending in 0001 – sold at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale collector car auction for $US1.05 million, with proceeds from that sale benefitting the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.

“It's fitting to introduce the new Stingray convertible on the global stage at Geneva because Corvette is the face of Chevrolet the world over,” said Susan Docherty, President and Managing Director of Chevrolet and Cadillac Europe.

“It is an icon that has long been recognised and admired even in countries where it's never officially been offered.”

According to Chevrolet, there are Corvette owner and enthusiast clubs in more than 100 countries, with 58 percent of the 1.1 million fans who ‘like’ Corvette's official Facebook page living outside the US.

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