Racing efforts helping General Motors improve its vehicles
No brand competes in as many North American racing series as Chevrolet, and the brand uses that to connect with customers and improve its cars in ways that aren’t always obvious, said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet vice president of performance vehicles and motor sports.
Chevrolet will introduce two new performance cars — the SS sedan and Corvette Stingray — this year, and an updated version of the Camaro. All three models compete in racing series. After a period when racing seemed divorced from the cars most automakers sell, demands for lightweight vehicles and more efficient engines that combine performance and fuel economy are bringing street and track closer together, Campbell said.
“We rotate engineers from our production vehicles to the racing programs and back,” he said. A few years ago, Matthew Wiles went from working on direct fuel injection systems for GM’s street cars to developing the turbocharged, direct-injection engines used in Indy racing.
“His expertise helped lead to manufacturer’s and driver’s championships for us last year,” Campbell said. Direct-injection, turbocharged engines also play a large role in GM vehicles ranging from the subcompact Chevrolet Sonic to the upcoming 2014 Cadillac CTS luxury sedan. Weightsaving techniques and aerodynamics also transfer from race programs to production cars.
“Racing is a wonderful way to train engineers to move very quickly,” Campbell said. “Every seven to 14 days, the green flag drops, whether you’re ready or not. They learn to solve problems fast.”