New Chevrolet Corvette unveiled at 2013 Detroit Auto Show

January 14, 2013 10:50 PM

Chevrolet unveiled its highly anticipated seventh-generation Corvette, the first new model in nine years, the night before the North American International Auto Show opens to the press in Detroit.

When 1,000 GM engineers and designers started work on the next-generation Corvette, they began with the usual priority list for a muscle car, the Associated Press reported. Killer looks. Big engine. Fast. But topping the list was something that belies the roar of the Chevrolet's giant V-8: Gas mileage.

The new model, set to reach dealers in the third quarter of 2013, is part of the push to breathe new life into the Chevy brand, which accounted for 71 percent of GM's 2012 U.S. sales, according to Bloomberg News.