No Chevrolet Corvette For South Korea

It is our duty as car enthusiasts to grumble about the laws concerning what we can and can’t do to our vehicles. Installing performance parts, changing ride height, some options and engines that are not available because of antiquated laws… One of the most annoying rules states that a vehicle should not make more noise than it did when it left the factory (this irks Harley-Davidson owners to no end). Car manufacturers are working around this problem by equipping their vehicles with an active exhaust valve. This device can be opened at the push of a button to let the engine sing like the car gods intended, but can also be left shut to reduce sound levels to an acceptable level.

It seems that South Korea doesn’t share our definition of ‘’acceptable sound level’’: at a recent press event where the local press could try out the Aveo, Cruze and Trax that are offered there, journalists asked if the Corvette would be offered in their country soon. GM’s representative stated that a law that regulates the maximum number of decibels that a car can generate was preventing them from releasing the 450-horsepower car on their roads.

• Also: 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: Maximum Volume
• Also: 2015 Chevrolet Corvette: Now Fuel-Efficient?

According to GM, there is little chance that this law will be modified: last year, only 12 Corvettes were exported to South Korea, so the resources that would be needed for convincing the government wouldn’t be worth it.

This goes to show that our lawmakers might not be so bad after all…