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Eight-speed Auto Rumored for 2015 Stingray Likely Delayed

2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 [1]There has been a lot of buzz around the transmission options for the C7 generation Corvette, a seven-speed manual, and with the reveal of the 2015 Corvette Z06 [2], an 8-speed automatic with paddle shifters. You would think that bringing a high-performance transmission from the Corvette Z06 to a less-powerful Corvette Stingray would be easy, but apparently that’s not the case.

lt1-1 [3]In an interview with AutoGuide [4], Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter explained that there are a number of items that have to be recalibrated  before GM can make the Z06’s 8-speed auto available to all Corvette buyers.

That means the 8-speed automatic might not be on the menu until 2016 or later, though it’s easy to understand why. The Corvette engineering team has a lot on their plate, and just because the Corvette Z06 has been revealed as a supercharged, 620 horsepower track monster doesn’t mean the work is done.

In order to calibrate the Z06’s eight-speed automatic for lower-end Corvettes, engineers have to take into account everything from tuning and torque vectoring to the LT1 engine’s cylinder deactivation technology. Things like launch control and stability control also have to be changed, just to accept this new transmission, which apparently dramatically changes the driving dynamics of the C7.

That just makes us want this new 8-speed auto all the more.