An all-new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, the seventh generation of the uniquely American sports car in six decades, will make its debut Jan. 13, 2013, on the eve of the North American International Auto Show, General Motors' Chevrolet brand said this week.
Eagerly awaited by auto enthusiasts, the new Corvette - dubbed C7 by the faithful, but known to GM and its suppliers by the development code Y1XX - is widely expected to have a radically restyled exterior, a more upscale interior, a lighter chassis and a more efficient engine.
There will be a six-month gap between the 2014 Corvette new C7 and the current C6 version, a Chevrolet spokesman said in an email. GM will stop building the 2013 model in early February, and is due to start producing the 2014 model in volume in July.
The first of the new C7 Corvettes is expected to roll off the line on June 30 - 60 years to the day that the first 1953 model was produced, according to two suppliers familiar with the automaker's plans.
The C7's formal unveiling in mid-January also marks the anniversary of the Corvette's debut in January 1953 as a GM Motorama "dream car" concept in New York. Since then, GM has built and sold more than 1.5 million Corvettes, although sales have slowed as higher vehicle prices and growing competition from Europe and Asia have eroded its fan base.
