Chevrolet Muses Creation Of Low-Cost Corvette

Is the world ready for a more-affordable Chevrolet Corvette?  According to Motor Trend, it's entirely possible that General Motors could be looking to hold on to the accessibility that has always been a big part of its flagship sports car's image with an entry-level sub-model that would deliver performance without the higher price tag that is expected to be attached to the latest-generation 'Vette.

The goal, it would seem, is to create a de-contented version of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray that would be dubbed the Corvette Coupe and that would squeak under the $50,000 dollar mark that currently serves as the 2013 Corvette's entry point.  How could this be accomplished?  Motor Trend has batted around the idea that the Corvette Coupe could swap out the high-tech LT1 engine found in the Stingray for a smaller-displacement 5.3-liter V8 that would provide roughly 50 horsepower less for a total coming in somewhere under 400 ponies.  Of course, it is reasonable to assume that a cut-rate Corvette would also trim many of the interior niceties and features that come with the full-on edition.

Chevrolet is in an interesting bind when it comes to creating a lower-tier version of its popular sports car due to the fact that the Chevrolet Camaro muscle coupe is far less expensive yet offers similar levels of power and performance.  Creating a cheaper Corvette could cannibalize sales from the Camaro, or it could simply lose out altogether as it competes against its own in-house rival.