With a 40 hp bump in output, the base model 2027 Corvette Stingray is capable of 200 mph. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed that the Trump administration will not agree to extend the U.S-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) in its current form. More at CBT News.
+ Ford reported a 10.3 percent drop in second-quarter U.S. sales to 549,200 vehicles as electric-vehicle demand fell 40 percent and SUV and F-Series truck volume slipped. More at Yahoo! Finance.
+ General Motors reported a 4.2 percent drop in U.S. sales to 714,896 vehicles in the second quarter, which was attributed to inflationary pressures keeping buyers away. More at World Auto Forum.
+ After 25 years and five IndyCar championships, Scott Dixon is leaving Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of 2026, with unconfirmed reports saying he’s headed for Arrow McLaren. More at ESPN.
+ Audi chief technical officer Rouven Mohr says markets are too different to support a global vehicle, so Audi and the AUDI China unit will offer increasingly diverse products. More at Car and Driver.
+ Chinese-built EVs are set to hit the Canadian market, with Geely-owned Lotus becoming the first Chinese automaker to begin deliveries under a new trade agreement. More at Autoweek.
+ Nissan’s 9.6 percent growth in sales in the second quarter rest on four models—Rogue, Pathfinder, Frontier, and Kicks—as the carmaker pivots toward SUVs and trucks. More at Autoblog.
+ Chinese automakers outsold Japanese brands in Europe’s passenger car market for the first time in May, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). More at Automotive World.
+ With a new 6.7-liter LS6 V8 rated at 535 horsepower and 520 lb-ft of torque, an increase of 40 hp, the base model 2027 Corvette Stingray is capable of reaching 200 mph. More at The Drive.
+ NASCAR Cup veteran Alex Bowman, whose contract with Hendrick Motorsports expires this year, says a decision on his future will be coming “sooner rather than later.” More at Motorsport.com.
Photo courtesy of Chevrolet.
Review the previous MCG Executive Briefing from June 29 here.
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Congratulations to Chevrolet for building a 200mph Corvette for less than most supercars. It should be equipped with five-point seat belts, an SCCA approved roll cage and a fire suppression system. Let’s be careful out there.
If you can afford it, you can operate it. The minimum requirement is financing, not skill. The American driver’s license does not scale with vehicle capability, so the risk created by a single driver in a 200‑mph machine is exported onto everyone else who never consented to share the road with this level of kinetic danger.
A 200‑mph Corvette carries massive kinetic energy:
E = (1/2) mv²
Doubling speed quadruples crash energy. So Jr’s Corvette at 150 mph has 9× the crash energy of mom’s rusty Civic at 50 mph.
But our licensing system illogically/absurdly/insanely treats all drivers as equally qualified in the U.S.A., allowing extreme‑performance cars without extreme‑performance training. It’s like letting a Jr. dragster driver hop in an NHRA top fueler or allowing any county fair demo-derby driver race F1. Financing is the only real gatekeeper. The risk is created by one driver but absorbed by everyone else, more liability gets forced outward…
The 200mph Corvette itself is not “designed by lawyers, for lawyers.” It’s still designed by automotive engineers. What is designed by lawyers and insurers is the domestic regulatory environment that allows anyone with financing to operate a 200‑mph machine with only a basic drivers license. Lawyers shape the rules of the American road:
●Tort law — defines who gets sued after a crash.
●Liability standards — define fault, negligence, and damages.
●Insurance companies — define premiums and risk pools.
●Legislative/political incentives — define what rules get passed.
The system benefits lawyers, not because lawyers design 200mph Corvettes, but because their system creates:
●More crashes
●More injuries
●More lawsuits
●More settlements
●More insurance claims
●More billable hours
Aviation lawyers learned long ago that crashes destroy their industry. Road transportation lawyers learned long ago that crashes, injuries and fatalities fuel their industry. That’s the only difference.