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What if the mid-engine Corvette is really a Cadillac?

Call me crazy, but I'm not convinced the mid-engine Corvette is the next Corvette. The rumor is strong, yes. And, contrary to some of the comments on our site, Car and Driver - leader of the mid-engine Corvette speculation brigade - has a pretty good record predicting future models. But it's another comment that got me thinking: or maybe it's a Cadillac. There is clearly something mid-engine going on at GM, and I think it makes sense for the car to be a Cadillac. First off, check out how sweet the 2002 Cadillac Cien concept car still looks in the photo above. Second, there are too many holes in the mid-engine Corvette theory. There are too many holes in the mid-engine Corvette theory. The C7 is relatively young in Corvette years, starting production almost three years ago as a 2014 model. Showing a 2019 model at the 2018 North American International Auto Show would kill sales of a strong-selling car before its time. Not to mention it would only mean a short run for the Grand Sport, which was the best-selling version of the previous generation. More stuff doesn't add up. Mid-engine cars are, in general, more expensive. Moving the Vette upmarket leaves a void that the Camaro does not fill. There's not much overlap between Camaro and Corvette customers. Corvette owners are older and enjoy features like a big trunk that holds golf clubs. Mid-engine means less trunk space and alienating a happy, loyal buyer. Also, more than 60 years of history. The Corvette is an icon along the likes of the Porsche 911 and Ford Mustang. I'm not sure the car-buying public wants a Corvette that abandons all previous conventions. And big changes bring uncertainty - I don't think GM would make such a risky bet. Chevrolet could build a mid-engine ZR1, you might say, and keep the other Corvettes front-engine. Yes they could, and it would cost a ton of money. And they still need to fund development of that front-engine car. I highly doubt the corporate accountants would go for that. But a Cadillac? Totally. Cadillac is in the middle of a brand repositioning. GM is throwing money at this effort. A mid-engine halo car is the just the splash the brand needs to shake off the ghosts of Fleetwoods past. And it's already in Cadillac President Johan De Nysschen's playbook. He was in charge of Audi's North America arm when the R8 came out. A Caddy sports car priced above $100,000 isn't that unreasonable when you can already price a CTS-V in that range.

Chevy Sail 3 lands in China

Shanghai General Motors took 32 cars to this year's Guangzhou Motor Show, with its Chevrolet Sail 3 leading the way. After putting almost 1.4 million of them into Chinese hands, the third generation of the Bowtie's entry-level sedan wants to "take the nameplate and the segment to a new level." Its new architecture sporting a 1.4-inch longer wheelbase supports a growth spurt of two inches in length and 1.8 inches in width. The exterior also gets "eagle eye-shaped" headlights and "dual-c-element taillights." Under the hood will be either a 1.5-liter DVVT or a 1.3-liter VVT, each of them more powerful and more frugal than previous offerings. Both can be paired with a manual or an automatic transmission, and qualify for listing in China's National Energy-Saving and Eco-Friendly Vehicle Catalogue, as well as a 3,000 renminbi rebate ($490 US). You can read more about it in the press release below, and get more info on the Chevrolet Camaro RS Limited Edition, Corvette Stingray Coupe, Buick Regal GS and Excelle XT also introduced at the show. Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac Take Center Stage at Guangzhou Auto Show - New Chevrolet Sail 3, Camaro RS Limited Edition and Corvette Stingray Coupe make China debut - Buick showcases customized Regal GS and Excelle XT - Shanghai GM announces new telematics strategy featured in upcoming Cadillac product GUANGZHOU, 2014-11-20 – Shanghai GM is displaying 32 vehicles from the Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac brands at the 12th Guangzhou International Auto Show, which begins today and runs through November 29 in Guangzhou. Among the products that are making their China debut are the third-generation Chevrolet Sail 3, Chevrolet Camaro RS Limited Edition and Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe. In addition, Buick is showcasing a customized Regal GS and Excelle XT, and Shanghai GM is announcing its new telematics strategy that will be featured in an upcoming Cadillac product next year. Chevrolet Sail 3 Entry-Level Family Car Since its introduction 15 years ago, the Sail has been a driving force in the entry-level family car segment. Nearly 1.4 million Sails have been sold across China. The third-generation Chevrolet Sail, named the Sail 3, will take the nameplate and the segment to a new level when it goes on sale nationwide by the end of this year. Built on Shanghai GM's new-generation small car architecture, the Sail 3 has adopted Chevrolet's new design language. It has a sculpted yet slim exterior with a youthful, dynamic feel.

Nissan Leaf has 2nd-best sales month ever, Chevy Volt does a 2013 repeat [UPDATE]

UPDATE: The official press release says that "Volt [sales were] up 7 percent," but Randy Fox let AutoblogGreen know that this is simply due to a change in the fleet/retail mix between March 2013 and 2014. The actual number sold was exactly the same in the two months. A month ago, Nissan's director of EV sales and marketing, Toby Perry, said he expected to see the Leaf's sales momentum continue into March. It wasn't a big leap, since January and February were slow sales months in 2013 (around 640 each) before a big climb to 2,200 in March. In 2014, the first two months of the year were better (around 1,300 each) but Nissan can still be happy that the Leaf just had the best March ever and its second-highest sales month ever, with 2,507 sold. That's a 12.1 percent increase from 2013 and Perry said in a statement to AutoblogGreen that one reason is all of the buyers who are becoming evangelists for the vehicle. "We've also seen an increase in showroom traffic as we enhanced our marketing presence in March," he said. Nissan pointed to cities like Washington, DC, Raleigh-Durham, NC and urban areas in Texas as strong Leaf markets last month. On the Chevy Volt front, January and February were also slow months in 2014, down roughly half from the 2,000-ish the plug-in hybrid was selling at the end of 2013. For 2014, sales were up slightly from the first two months of the year and Chevy spokesman Randy Fox told AutoblogGreen that the March number was "pretty flat, year-over-year." Even with that warning, we were surprised to see the total come in at 1,478. Why's that? Because the total for March 2013 was ... 1,478. So, yeah, that's pretty steady even if there were 26 selling days in March period this year compared to 27 last year. As always, our more complete report of last month's green car sales will be coming soon. News Source: General Motors, Nissan Green Chevrolet GM Nissan Electric Hybrid PHEV ev sales