Corvette to get diesel power for 2009
Chevrolet has announced that they will introduce a diesel-powered Corvette next spring as a 2009 model. The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette TDI will be powered by a specially-designed 5.7 liter V8 diesel with twin turbochargers. Output for the engine, developed in cooperation with Isuzu, is estimated at 350 horsepower and 675 lb-ft of torque.
"We feel that with its high fuel economy and strong low-end torque characteristics, the turbodiesel is the perfect engine for the Corvette," says a General Motors spokesperson. Early tests indicate that the Corvette TDI accelerates from 0 to 60 in just over 4 seconds and achieves real-world fuel economy of 25 to 30 MPG.
Chevrolet has hinted that if the Corvette TDI is a hit with buyers, they may consider phasing out gasoline-powered Corvettes altogether and making the turbodiesel engine the exclusive powerplant for the iconic American sports car. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © General Motors
Comments
I’ll park right beside my Hemi-Powered Prius.
This has got to be the most ludicrous April Fool hoax yet.
Can’t imagine this.
I heard this rumor, too, Aaron…still not sure if I like the idea, but GM seems to know what it’s doing…I also heard about a diesel CTS-V….did you?
And where did you see this official announcement? April Fool
Its high time for this.
The power and economy of the Diesel have been known, at least by intelligent men for at least 50 years…
And the fuel can be grown !
But WHY are we so slow in adapting this “new” technology ??
Include a flux capacitor, and I MIGHT consider it …
With AUDI racing the R10 it’s just a natural progresion. Finally the US carmakers are jumping on the bandwagon that has been a mainstay in Europe for so long now. First the Jeeps and now a performance car. Chevrolet should be applauded for bringing this leading edge tech to the Corvette. My deposit is waiting: put me to the head of the of the line. J.
and a happy april fools day to you too.
Nothing “new” about diesels or turbo diesels. The American market for the most part doesn’t like the noise or smell of the diesel engine and that is why they are not common in american cars. The American manufactures tried in the 70’s and only the trucks survived. It would take some amazing marketing to get the public to go for diesel powered cars on a large scale.
A 5.7 litre engine CANNOT produce 675 foot pounds of torque. The crackpot that produced this fiction did not do his homework. Don’t be taken in by this article. Happy April Fools DAY !
What do you mean a 5.7 liter engine can’t produce 675 lb-ft of torque?
http://www.enjoythedrive.com/content/?id=30183
It is April 1st afterall…no diesel in Corvette’s future…that car would weigh WAY too much…
idiots.
5.7L GM diesel? *shudder*
Last time that happened, we called it the Oldsmobile diesel, and it was horribly engineered.
Now, if it’s just a 5.7L version of the 6.6 Duramax, that’s fine.
why didnt they just make a hybrid vet
if fuel economy is the REAL issue.
why didnt they just make a hybrid vet
if fuel economy is the REAL issue.
Nice April Fools joke. If GM knew what they were doing, Toyota wouldn’t be taking over as #1 auto maker.
nice attempt dude, but if your gonna be making stuff up at least blow up some of the numbers. like 800HP, 1250ib-ft of torque. not to mention the vetter already gets close to 30MPG. better luck next year.
If this is true, I believe it is a great plan on GM’s part.
A car that is capable of 180-190mph and gets 30mpg……wonderful
Audi is showing the world that this is possible both on the street and in race trim
My girlfriend’s turbo diesel vibrator has 1250lb-ft of torque.
Last GM came out with a diesel powered “vette” it was Chevette. April Fools.
If this would have been something from Audi I could have believed it. Oh well you got me to click on it at least. Good one.
Diesel is the future.
Look for 60 MPG Jetta in 08.
This Vette will get 35 MPG easy.
No more noise and soot from today’s diesel technology. Perfected right here in Upstate NY with Corning, Inc. technology.
25 mpg…. NOTTT
fools!!!!! look around idiots. TDI is hotter than Sarah Michelle Gellar over in Europe Europe may well be the destination for this new corvette. Not only that but like the trucks, the TDI will not be the ONLY engine available. If you dont like TDI dont buy one with TDI. DUH!!! There are many TDI trucks, also as many big block or 10 cylinder trucks. To each his own. But in honosty today if anyone wants to sell a vehicle in EUROPE, it has to be TDI. Petrol (GAS) is extremely expensive over there
What a Hoot!! I can park it right beside my Western Star with its 475 Cat. Now if only it had 18 speeds like my truck!!
O.K. April Fools or not?! On the real, I just saw an episode of Future Cars (Discovery Channel) that semi-showcased a semi ultra high performance vehicle that got over 100 MPG running on diesel while kickin booty on the track. But, then again, it is April Fools, which in itself dislends credibility to almost any article published on that date, sooooooo…….True or False??????
close, but no banana.
if someone does get a diesel ‘vette, you couldn’t ride with top down cause every time you would idle or sit at a light that weird diesel smell would ruin the enjoyment of having a convertible.
I heard it also comes with a truckers cap and a CB radio. 10 4 good buddy !
You guys are the most uneducated idiots out there, DIESEL is the way to go. A mercedes benz diesel still holds speed records from the 70’s the duramax in the trucjs can be made to produce 600-800 horse power and 1000 plus ft lbs, why dont you guys try a Volkswagen tdi fast fun and great on fuel quit shootin off your mouthes until you get and eduaction, its people like you who scare people away from the diesel, the new diesels exhaust DOESNT EVEN SMELL LIKE IT RUNS ON DIESEL and they are so quiet and powerful, that they will blow away many a gasser, my dmax, can’t even tell its a diesel at idle and will school any mustang any day, so get a diesel EDUCATION or keep your mouth SHUT
HEY VW TDI YOUR CAR IS CRAP!!!
Whoa guys, let’s simmer down a little bit here. Personally, I could easily see GM doing a diesel in a Corvette. Like it or not, our market HAS to move more towards alternative fuel sources. Diesel is one of the only fuels that can be effectively and efficient made via renewable resources. Ethanol is a viable alternative. For those who think that hybrids are the solution, just think about all the parts that go into it. Typically, the batteries are made with products that are absolutely horrible to the earth to mine(nickel). In the overall scheme of things, it has been purported that building the hybrids and running them is less cost effective than producing and driving a H2 hummer. One of the things that we all need to wrap our minds around is that gas, as we know it today, will continue to get more and more expensive to produce and purchase. We will continue to wage war against other nations to keep fueling our ever increasing need for fuel. To me, by driving a vehicle that can use alternative sources of fuel is my pacifist way of protesting everything that I see our country becoming. VW TDI, if I were Chris, I would be a little upset as well. If you go back through your post, you will find that your typing skills make you look uneducated. Chris, I will say that I own a VW TDI, I get 50mpg, and can go over 600 miles on one tank of fuel. I would take an honest look at your vehicles and see if you are really doing your best for our environment and economy. I’ve had my say, let the naysayers beat me up. It’s a free country, and I’ve still got the right to free speech… Oh wait, that’s right, our president is working on taking that constitutional right away from us, so I better shut it, right?
Good post, Yikes!!!
The reason I said something about the smell was from previous experience, I doubt new diesels(in cars) are near as bad.
Also, the diesels they make today in trucks seem to always have problems if you at all abuse them(heavy loads 5days a week). It seems Cummins is the best motor, otherwise if you abuse a Duramax, your heads wear out, and with a 6.0 powerstroke your turbos fail before 100k. But, the diesels in cars don’t do that. Now figure that out and you’re a genius.
Now that’s some digital hijinx right there.
bjay, you hit it right on the head. I have a 1998 Dodge with the 24v Cummins. It runs like a champ, haven’t had to do anything to it. It smokes a little bit, and it’s noisy, but I like it that way. The newer models, 2007+ from the big three are so quiet, a standard gasser is even more noisy. My 2003 VW TDI is noisy outside, but inside is just as quiet as any normal car. Longevity is definitely an issue if you’re always working the vehicle hard, but do the same thing with a gasser as you would with a diesel, and the gasser will crap out long before the diesel. I think that if everyone got out and drove a newer model diesel vehicle, they would realize that it’s by far superior to any other technology.
ok, read the post #31 by VW TDI. His post, which is 10 lines long, is one big sentence. The funny part is that right in the middle of the worlds longest sentence he tells people to get an education (actually he says to get “and education”).
Actually post #31 says “get and eduaction” What is an eduaction anyway?
This has to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard!….PERIOD!!
Its almost like GM is asking to go under!!..This will be as big of a hit with the general market as the last generation of GTO’s….Or worse in my opinion!
Who ever it was at GM who thought of this should get kicked in the sack!……That is all!
After having my C6 Z51 out for a 150+ MPH blast on an open road in Northern Nevada last weekend I can’t imagine needing more than the LS2’s 400 hp and 400 ft/lbs of torque. Who cares about fuel economy in a Vette anyway.
http://www.bankspower.com/sidewinder.cfm
http://www.bankspower.com/DmaxTypeR-Update-307.cfm
We’re getting close to doing the diesel Vette, no matter how sick and wrong that sounds, have a look at the included links. We,ve gone 222 at B-ville and get 24.5 MPG on the street, in the same race tuned vehicle (a cummins in a Dakota). The second link is our D-Max twin turbo road racer…it’s very competetive but big torque kills drivetrains so we’re holding it to 800 Lb Ft. That said we still kill conventional road race transmissions and massive quick-change rear ends in about 3 to 4 hours…we plan a 25 hour race in December @ Thunderhill. We just took delivery of a Traction Products sequential gearbox built to our requirement so stay tuned. Last time out we practiced at Buttonwillow before an enduro event. Detuned to 550 BHP the D-max lapped at 1:59 there were a few hundred cars there the fastest was a Roush prepped SRT-10 Viper which clocked a 1:57. So what would be wrong with this drive-train in a Vette…even de-tuned we could go faster than our truck. And our current dyno engine is approaching 800 BHP at 4800 RPM. Kinda gets you thinking, huh?
Gale Banks
To all of the people on here who are stuck in an antiquated gasoline mentality, diesel doesn’t smell any worse than gas, you are just used to gas odors. To diesel drivers, gas stinks. Also, gas engines will never achieve the power to mileage figures that a diesel is capable of, no matter what you do. Step into the 21st century and go with the fuel that is putting hybrids to shame! The only reason you don’t see more diesels in the U.S. is the petroleum and automotive industry is so heavily invested in gasoline technology it would cost too much of their precious profits to switch over and the execs that get these absolutely ludicrous salaries and retirement packages won’t have that!
And finally to bjay, you are correct about the truck engines, the only engine that truly holds up to abuse is the Cummins, but even the Dodge is subject to the short comings of the big three, I.E., poor quality on the truck chasis and everything they add to the engine. If Toyota ever gets off their butt and releases a 3/4 and 1 ton diesel, that will be a truck!
Looks like I’ll be buying a Vette in 2009.
I’ve got a ‘76 vette with a 5.7 diesel. yep, thats the “oldsmobile diesel” that everyone hated. as it turns out… the olds diesel is a tough, simple, dependable, and belive it or not, powerfull engine. to bad the “d” blocks gave the olds diesel project such a bad rap.
THAT IS A NICE CAR DUDE.IT IS A HOT BABY.
Wow! I can’t believe “the” Gale Banks actually replied in this thread. I can totally see a diesel vette. I own an ‘01 Duramax that makes 420hp/950ft using the Banks 6 gun programmer and my engine is stock…oh, did I forget to mention the truck has 160,000 miles on it, still drives like new, pulls our 28′ travel trailer like it’s not there and runs the 1/4 mile in 14.9 sec. Not bad for a CrewCab/LongBed, 2 wheel drive 7,500lbs TRUCK. And with conservative driving, I still maintain 18mpg. Take that $4.05/per for gassers! What’s so hard to believe that a vette couldn’t reap the same bennies?
Going to a diesel in the Corvette will ruin the Corvette for me and many others. The Vette has always been a gas burner and should stay that way. Won’t sound the same and even performs worse. More then likely, if you can afford a Corvette, you probably aren’t too worried about affording gas. People don’t seem to be to concerned as a whole anyways. Look at all the brand new SUV’s out on the road. If they do make the diesel Vette, at least continue the gas engine as an option. If not, I’ll not buy another one after ‘08.
I think it’s a great idea, and a very smart move on GM’s part. With Audi and the R10(V12) stuffed into a SUV, Peugeot’s diesel-powered 908, Lamborghini to Build Diesel-Powered Gallardo wih a VW V-10, and Dodge Cummins trucks into the 9’s, about time. Bio-diesel non toxic fueled Corvette, kind of like having your cake and eating it too!
Whoa. I have a 1999 C5 that already gets 26 MPG highway. If you are going to HP, at least give us up to 35 MPG.
they already have diesel performance engines, and the truck engine for the 2500 has a single turbo and puts out 360hp/650flbs, so why would a twin turbo for this model only put out so little. i have seen diesels with chips and upgraded single turbos with over 800 hp, so why dont they take off a turbo and upgrade to a larger single turbo. if the corvette is gonna go diesel, then it has to have at least 500hp, 800ft/lbs or else this car will not be as popular. the corvette ss will be well over 400hp, so why back down when the diesel has the most potential of any fuel burning engine on the market.
Anyone who wants to put down a diesel powered vette is out of their mind. Stop for a minute and do some research. Diesel is the wave of the future. Hybrids will fall under and diesels will take over, unless your a honda fag. But, then you dont count!! How can you turn down amazing power and fuel economy at the same time? Once america gets used to it the vette will blow up!! Anyone who thinks otherwise is a total douche bag.
Check out the Audi R10 lemans Car , it winds every Race, its quiet, gets good mpg and its a Diesel! You are dumb not to buy a diesel car! My brother in laws Audo 80 (Turbo Diesel) gets around 45mpg! and its fast!
HAHA, someone posted a link to this on GMTruckClub.com and I guess I didn’t catch the part about it being April 1st for the posting. Nice work.
http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/showthread.php?p=39260#post39260
My gas powered Vette gets over 30 on the highway & 22 to 25 in the city. Considering the price of diesel fuel ( more expensive where I’m located ) what’s the point? Will it smoke like a diesel, stink like a diesel, and sound like a diesel? If it don’t, I won’t want one.
Listen up people that do not think diesels can’t perform. Cummings once beat Ferrari before rules were changed, also the audi r12 is taking names on the track and finally the fastest truck is a cummings powered truck. Diesel duramax 2500 beat a z06 on the quarter, so why not a diesel they are the future not gas.
Last week on the Autobahn between Munich and Stuttgart, I say a westbound red corvette in the fast lane, marked “Corvette Diesel” on the rear.
My right hand to God. A test version?
My truck is a 6.0L Diesel, and puts out around 800ft# of tq, has well over 420rwhp, and I kicked the CRAP outta a 1981 vette just yesterday 0-60. It does a EXTREMELY low 14 sec 1/4, and gets 22+ mpg highway !!! SURE it is time for a Diesel Vette. Anyone that doubts the above can come see me, and I will be GLAD to prove it…
I actually have enjoyed reading most of these. Some are very stupid and some just simply entertaining. I honestly think that it is a wonderful idea and would love to see it. I know first hand of the power of diesel motors and would never drive anything else. My favorite thing in the world is a high strung out loud turbo. If you guys dont think diesels are fast go to banks website and look at the banks truck, the road race one. If you still are not convinced just go to you tube and see a dodge cummins smoke a dodge viper…or see it in real life!! Anyway diesels are the way and have been becoming more and more popular. Good luck to all and try and keep those exhaust temps down!!
Yep, Civil Engineer, diesel is the way to go…I’ll never drive another POS gasser again…
And whenever I see another engineer in a gasser, I think, “WHAT are you doing? You’re an Engineer…YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER!”
This MAY have been an April Fool’s joke, but the reality is it’s not. Bank’s does it, he rocks (though I disagree with his views on ULSD vs Biodiesel as posted in 4WOR mag), and as soon as I can cram an oil burner into everything I own, there will be no stinkin’ gasoline on my property (well…maybe the lawnmower…tiny and weak motors still need gas…:))
I hope these new GM 350 cu. inch diesel are better than the 350 cu. inch engines made in 1980!
No disrespect intended but some of you guys need to wake up and smell the exhaust! Go to ANY race track of importance of ANY sanctioned body and you’ll find diesels! On the water or on the tracks, they’re the wave of the future for performance and longevity. From Bonneville to Sebring, the new hi-tech diesels PERFORM and perform well!
I “LOVE” my diesel 1978 Silver Anniversary Corvette with a Oldsmobile 350 DX 5.7 diesel engine which was I installed new in 1982,this car was first showed at the Worlds Fair in Knoxville,Tennesse in March,1982 at the Corvette Car Show and Auction it won first place.Since then I have put 14,000 miles on it showing it and it averages 35 to 40 miles per gallon. So GM is behind time.
Continued from comment # 62 a picture of this Corvette can be veiwed in EBay feed back for Wrecker 1939.This is no joke, the car is very fast on take off and will peg the speedometer. I am very pleased and everyone else should be also with the Diesel Corvette that GM will produce in the “USA”
I’m not knockin’ the diesel at all, but the Corvette already achieves a real world 25-30 mpg. I guess I just don’t understand why you would introduce a Corvette with a diesel engine that produces the exact same mpg only you have to spend almost $5 a gallon on gas.
ok you guys here the truth as it is. diesels will kick gasolines ass anyday, anytime i have a 1978 olds 350ci 5.7L diesel thats right (THE BAD DOG) as you guys say but wait a sec mine is a dx block and yet it runs just fine we just made it in to a race engine with no turbo and yet it get a good 26 city and 35 highway mpg and has 400 hp with 650 lb-ft torque so why in the world do you guys say diesels suck? cuz mine kicks ass everyday it pushes a 5,450lb car everyday it will smoke any honda anyday (ive done it too easy) and whoever said they brake down was wrong cuz mine has never let me down. oh and whoever said that they are slow take a test drive and get your facts right cuz with diesels the best part is theres no limit to how much power you can have (unlike gas haha) and they are easyer to fix too no wires to change no caps, no rotors, no sparkplugs, and best of all no carbs haaaaaaaa …. thats the beauty of diesel! the only reson they had so many brake downs in the 70s was cuz people like you didnt know how to service them and it was not the engine it was the head bolts that keep braking cuz they sucked not the engine now ARP head bolts are 100 times better so they dont brake and the other thing was the FUEL (it SUCKED then!!!) so…… anyone wanna say olds 350 diesels was a bad engine now? cuz i think we all need a diesel in are lives. oh f.y.i you just got told by a 20 year old diesel lover/mechanic. this is for all my diesel lovers all over the world!!! DIESEL FOREVER!!!!! #2 PUMP FOR LIFE!!! DIESELS NEVER DIE!!! DIESEL THE WAY TO GO!!!!!!
This country needs to wake up to the efficiency, power and economy of the Diesel engine. Government and the U.S. auto companies need to advertise and promote the use of the Diesel engine in order to get rid of the existing stigma(s).
I dont know if any of you diesel haters have ever seen a new diesel, but you really should. There is no smell, they’re much quieter than gas engines, and they return on average 1.5-2 times the gas mileage, possibly even better. I take a diesel powered bus multiple times every day, and i have spent my fair share of times standing directly behind it at the exhaust pipe. There’s no smoke, no smell, and very little noise. None of that even includes the prospect of being able to grow diesel in the united states (earthbiofuels.com) Wake up people, in 10 years diesel sales will overtake gasoline sales. Diesel is a no brainer.
I run that old 5.7 diesel in my ‘79 Silverado, and I think it’s kind of a fun little beast. But I also understand the hatred for it, and I’ll be one of the first to say that it is among the worst manufactured engines produced in the United States. For my old truck, it ain’t half bad, but if I were to buy any Corvette, then I want power and performance. Niether of which the 5.7 diesel ever had. If you want a fast car, then stick with gasoline, or even better, alcohol.
I wonder if it will come with a trailer hitch? I would say a class III would do the trick!
a diesel engine in a corvette…for years i’ve thought about putting a diesel engine into a vette and now i guess with all the hype about bio diesel engines GM will finally get their heads on straight for the consumer.
Did they say 350hp with the diesel? Why would I wanna spend money on a 2009 Vette with only 350 horsepower? Watta joke. GM is better-off developing an electric Vette. It’s known you can get speed out of an electric car. And I’m not talking about them dumb-ass hybrids. Hybrids will provide nothing but excessive wear-and-tear on tranny and engine. I’m talking about a 100% electric vette. Now that’s something I wanna see.
Have a 2006 Dodge Mega Cab diesel getting 24 mpg pulling a scamp 5th wheel fiberglass @ 2k lbs. I could pull the scamp with this vet as a concept travel vehical to the bumper with special frame adaptors! My megacab is quick and I would add a chip to the Vet to adjust for the load. I could have it all!
I like a car with range. I don’t like to stop for fuel. And fuel economy is a big factor in this. Also diesel is safer than gas if you want to avoid explosions. I’ve seen people burn to death in a car with a gasoline fire. No one sells proper fuel cell tanks in gasoline equiped cards.
You might think I’m crazy, but I’ve often thought about pulling my 435HP trip power out of my ‘67 vette, and installing a “good” diesel like the Duramax. Now they have that smaller one I think about it even more often. The car is way to light in the back. A bigger tank and a lighter engine would improve handling.
I would love to drive the car every day, but it is too impractical. It is the only car I can literally watch the gas gauge move with WOT. I probably get 7 mpg when I drive it hard. And it needs octane booster and that is still not enough to keep it from knocking.
There was a Sunoco with racing fuel near me, but they don’t sell it any more. I know of only one other place that sells it and it is too far away. And, I’m sick and tired of carting around 55 gallon drums of aviation fuel–it doesn’t last long–less than three fill ups.
So what do I do? Put in an underground tank and have it delivered? I’ve though about that too.
My options are to keep it stock and never drive it. rebuild the engine with lower compression. Or replace the engine.
I love diesels, having owned an ‘81 Rabbit (~250,000 miles on that when it died), ‘83 K5 Blazer (sold at 265,000 miles) and now own an ‘01 K3500 Dually (running like new at 81,000 miles).
I would love to have an aerodynamic diesel powered Vette with a big gas tank. (my other idea was to install a 36 gallon tank on my ‘67 Vette). It would be fun to drive, I could use it every day, and I could go farther.
If Chevrolet put their new diesel in a Vette, I’d order one today. I’d chose a color that did not show the soot. I’d get a coupe, and I’d think about how I could stuff a bigger tank in it, and gladly give up trunk space for a 1500 mile plus range.
My Rabbit had a second 10 gallon tank in the spare tire well. I routinely got 650 miles driven hard, 700 average, and maxed out about 750 miles on 20 gallons (37.5 mpg). It was underpowered and I tended to drive it hard.
I’m a bit of a nut for range in a car. My Blazer had three fuel tanks, a replacement 37 gallon tank and two 10 gallon saddle tanks–my record was 1018 miles (17 mpg).
I hated to be caught somewhere without fuel, and often spent my weekends, when I lived out west, well off the beaten path. Ever try to find diesel on a Sunday out in the boonies? No possible.
My ‘01 dually has a single 53 gallon tank, and gets from 650 to 800 miles per fill-up (~50 gallons) and I’m considering adding another tank in the bed. (best fuel economy 16.9 mpg) I have a 275 fuel oil tank but I’m looking for something larger and less obvious–my goal is a 3000 mile range. What I’d rather have is better fuel economy to get that sort of range.
As for my ‘67 big block Vette, I’ll probably rebuild it and sell it. I can’t drive it. I’d rather sell it and buy something fun I can use like an ICON A5.
For those of you who haven’t figured it out. Gas prices will be higher than ever in the future. Think $12/gallon in our lifetimes.
As other people have said, look to Europe to see our future. 60% of the cars in Europe are diesels. Most people drive cheap 70 mpg scooters. People there don’t want a car that doesn’t get at least 30 mpg.
I think a new Vette with the right diesel could get 35 mpg on the highway or better, and 25 or so around town. And be able to get out of it’s own way.
While the current Vette’s do get decent gas mileage, higher is better. Diesel gives you that immediate increase. And Bio-diesel might be the cheapest fuel in the future.
Chevrolet has no choice but to sell diesels. The added cost is more than offset by the potential savings. Fairly light car, sleek aero, and better fuel economy=winning idea.
hybrid saving gas bastards