Corvette Stingray Concept

GM has unveiled the Corvette Stingray Concept, the one-off dream car inspired by the 1959 Stingray race car and the Corvette heritage that will be featured in the upcoming summer blockbuster movie Transformers II.

At the 2009 Chicago Auto Show GM has unveiled the Corvette Stingray Concept, already previewed in the past months under the name of "Vision Concept" and "Centennial Concept".

The car will be among the characters of the upcoming "Transformers II: Revenge of the Fallen", where it will "act" as the four-wheels counterpart of Sideswipe.

The sleek concept was "dreamed up" by the Corvette designers at GM, who were influenced by the original Stingray race car, introduced in 1959.

The Concept also draws on Corvette heritage cues from other generations and brings them together in a futuristic shape that "seems to be equal parts racecar and space ship".

“SIDESWIPE represents an exercise in exploration for the Corvette,” said Ed Welburn, vice president of GM Global Design.

“By giving my creative team the freedom to design no-holds-barred vision concepts, it helps them push boundaries and look at projects from different perspectives.”

Transformers II: Revenge of the Fallen

The Chevrolet stand at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show (Friday through Feb. 22) features five Chevrolet-based characters – including four all-new characters – featured in the new from the upcoming DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures release, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”, which is set to open in the United States on June 26.

The four new movie characters are:

• SIDESWIPE – a stylized Corvette vision concept vehicle
• SKIDS and MUDFLAP – twin AUTOBOTS® based on Chevy’s Beat (a concept that will go into production as the Chevy Spark in 2011) and Trax concepts
• JOLT – an AUTOBOT based on the upcoming Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle

BUMBLEBEE, the heroic AUTOBOT based on Chevrolet’s Camaro concept from the first “Transformers” movie, returns with a high-performance attitude. Joining the vehicles on stage will be BUMBLEBEE in his AUTOBOT form, standing almost 17 feet (5.2 meters) tall and 13 feet (4 meters) wide.

Ed Peper, GM North America vice president, Chevrolet said “‘Transformers’ gives us a great opportunity to connect with young people on their terms, with a dynamic, environmentally friendly image. The new characters represent the change going on in Chevy showrooms."

Directed by Michael Bay, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” sees the AUTOBOTS confront a new threat from DECEPTICONS bent on avenging their earlier defeat on Earth.

The new AUTOBOT characters in their current Chevy-based form square off against new, tougher foes determined to rule the universe.

The cast includes - among the others - Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and John Turturro who already starred in the first movie.

“‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ goes way beyond the first film in terms of robot action and excitement,” said LeeAnne Stables, executive vice president of worldwide marketing partnerships at Paramount Pictures, the distributor of the film.

“The new AUTOBOTS add to the storytelling, and these Chevy vehicles went with our filmmakers to locations all around the world.”

Along with the Camaro that’s reprising its role in the new film, the other Chevy models to be seen on the big screen are new to movie-goers.

The Beat and Trax-based characters, SKIDS and MUDFLAP, remain faithful to their concept designs introduced at the 2007 New York Auto Show – although each wears new paint and other exterior accessories.

And while they may be small cars, when they turn into fighting AUTOBOTS®, they pack a big punch.

The other new AUTOBOT, JOLT, appears in the production form of Chevy’s 2011 Volt extended-range electric vehicle.

BUMBLEBEE, the yellow Camaro, is based on the new, 2010 production model and will showcase new wheels and SS-model performance cues.

For more information visit www.autobotsrollout.com and the Transformers II page at IMDB.