GM files patent for 7-speed DCT, is it headed for Corvette?

Although a report last year indicated that the seventh-gen Chevrolet Corvette could be getting an eight-speed automatic transmission, it looks like General Motors might have some other plans in mind. General Motors recently filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office for a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and CorvetteForum.com makes the obvious guess that this performance-enhancing gearbox could find its way a future version of Chevy's performance coupe.

The drawing above comes directly from the patent filing, and while the gearbox will almost certainly be used in more than just one model, it would be a welcomed replacement for the six-speed automatic currently found in the 2014 Corvette. The idea of a DCT in the already-impressive C7 Stingray definitely makes the rivalry between the Corvette and the Porsche 911 a little more intriguing.

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DoJ fines Japanese parts firms $740M in massive automotive price-fixing scandal

Nine Japanese suppliers have pleaded guilty in US court over charges of price fixing in the automotive parts industry, resulting in the Department of Justice doling out a total of $740 million of fines, according to a report from Bloomberg. The scandal, which has resulted in General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Chrysler spending up to $5 billion on inflated parts and driving up prices on 25 million vehicles has sent the DoJ hustling into investigations. "The conduct this investigation uncovered involved more than a dozen separate conspiracies aimed at the U.S. economy," Attorney General Eric Holder (pictured above) said during yesterday's press conference.

As the investigation stands, the DoJ has issued $1.6 billion in fines against 20 companies and 21 individual executives, with 17 of the execs headed to prison. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Scott Hammond said, "The breadth of the conspiracies brought to light today are as egregious as they are pervasive. They involve more than a dozen separate conspiracies operating independently but all sharing in common that they targeted US automotive manufacturers."

Big-name suppliers indicted in the investigation include Mitsubishi Electric, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Hitachi Automotive and Mitsuba Corporation. A list of fines and other corporations named in the investigation is available at Bloomberg.

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12-cylinder 'LS12' will blow your mind, doors off

So there you are on May 1 minding your own business on the internet when a forum user called "V12Baker" uploads a picture of the engine block above. But you're on the LS1 forum, a site devoted to the legendary V8s made by General Motors, and that's a V12. V12Baker explains that he sliced two LS1 engines and used the pieces to not only make an LS12, but also a V4 with the leftovers. That is probably when, like user "3.8redbird," you write "April Fools day is April 1st not May 1st."

But the engine is real, built by a guy named Ray and his partners in a shop in Seattle, WA. Ray said they wanted to make a V12 engine for a plane, and after experimenting with Buick 215 engine blocks they got around to the LS. With a stock stroke and a 4.4-inch sleeve, the result is a 545 cubic inch motor (8.9 liters) that fires like a V16 short of four cylinders. Their first two LS12 builds went into a 3/4-scale P51 Mustang, and a Chevrolet Tahoe two years ago. The Tahoe engine, only the second build, was said to get around 525 horsepower.

They now have the parts to make five more LS12s and are refining their technique, working on simpler solutions for the crankshafts - they machined the first crankshafts from a solid piece of steel, but that's crazy expensive. One of the engines is already slated to receive a massive Littlefield supercharger and "might find its way into a long-nosed 240Z." That Z, mind you, will also be getting its own chassis since the decades-old original item couldn't begin to handle the power.

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GM's Reuss would like a 'nice, light, rear-drive car that's inexpensive'

We'll admit we had to read the quote from General Motors President of North America Mark Reuss a few times just to make sure we weren't missing something obvious. But it is correct – Reuss told Automotive News he'd like "A really nice, light, rear-drive car that's inexpensive..." to join the Chevrolet line-up. Which means, if we've read this correctly, that Reuss wants the same thing that enthusiasts have been caterwauling about, like rutting cats and babies with colic, to join the Mazda Miata since the demise of the Honda S2000 – even after the arrival of the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S. The rest of the quote: "[W]e know that rings a bell." Indeed. As loud as Christ Church Cathedral, Mr. Reuss.

Mind you, this present-day evolution of Reuss' comments made at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show is still only wishlist material. As then, such a car is "not on the drawing board" according to AN. Even if it were, it wouldn't look like the 130R concept whose warm reception still has Reuss talking about the kind of car it represents. Nevertheless, if such a car were to appear, its sweet spot is the gentler end of the $20,000s, and it would utilize a "scalable and efficient" platform to compete against those aforementioned Japanese twins.

Feel free to speculate in Comments as to what kind of coupe Chevrolet should join the competition with, then forget this ever happened.

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C7 Corvette practicing as Indy 500 pace car?

Although the C7 Corvette may have gotten snubbed at this year's Super Bowl, it looks like the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray will be front and center for some of the brightest lights in automotive racing. These spy shots show Chevrolet engineers testing a Stingray coupe with safety lights added to the front and rear of the car as we normally see on a pace car, and judging by the timing and the history of General Motors pacing the Indianapolis 500, it looks like this Corvette could be getting ready for next month's big race.

We contacted Chevrolet PR, who remained understandably coy on the subject, but we have good reason to believe this is, in fact, the pace car. (We also note the recently-revealed Camaro Convertible Hot Wheels Edition has already been confirmed for race-related duties, yet it hasn't been revealed as the pace car).

Preparing for pace duty, this C7 adds small strobes into the lower grille and a light bar integrated into the rear window opening, and the factory LEDs on the side of the headlights will also be programmed to flash. Judging by the white tape still covering the rocker panels, there could be other changes planned for the car as well. If this is in fact the pace car for the 2013 Indy 500, that would mark the 12th time a Corvette has led the field to the green flag. Either way, we should know soon – the 97th running of the race is Sunday, May 26.

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Toyota maintains world's largest automaker crown, GM and VW close behind

Toyota still holds the title of World's Largest Automaker. The Japanese automaker ceded the claim to General Motors in 2011 following a series of natural and man-made disasters that stifled production in Asia. Production is back up to full speed and, coupled with the introduction of a new Camry midsize sedan, Toyota retook the title in 2012 and has so far been able to keep it by selling 2.43 million vehicles in the first quarter of 2013.

The race is still tight – General Motors reports sales of 2.36 million vehicles, earning it the second spot globally with Volkswagen's 2.27 million sales nabbing the German automaker third place. It's not all smooth sailing for Toyota, either, as the brand's first-quarter figures were down 2.2 percent when compared to last year. GM posted a 3.6-percent gain and VW managed a 5.1-percent gain over the same period.

Sales in China may be a deciding factor as to which automaker performs best in 2013. Toyota's figures were down 13 percent in China. Meanwhile, GM and VW are continuing their upward trajectories in the crucial Chinese market.

As ever, each of the automakers says publicly it doesn't care much about the title. Shino Yamada, a spokesperson for Toyota, told The Washington Post, "Rather than pursuing numbers, we try to sell one car at a time, producing good cars. We aren't focused on being number one." GM spokesperson Jim Cain echoed a similar note, saying, "A day doesn't go by that we don't try to increase our sales all over the world."

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Cadillac ATS Coupe spy photos show more sedate two-door

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Remember when the Cadillac CTS Coupe debuted, and we were all like, "Oh hello there?" Well, don't expect the same thing to happen when the new ATS Coupe is unveiled – these brand new (overexposed) spy shots show a two-door that's decidedly more sedate than the angular yet curvaceous and all-around good-looking CTS Coupe. This isn't to say that the smaller Caddy Coupe won't be attractive – the four-door version is plenty pretty, to be sure – it just likely won't have that extra somethin'-somethin' to truly set it apart from the sedan.

Fine, then. We don't doubt that the two-door ATS will be just as enjoyable to drive as its sedan sibling, with a lot of the mechanical stuff likely carrying over unchanged. That includes the powertrain options, meaning buyers will be able to choose from the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four, turbocharged 2.0-liter four, or larger free-breathing 3.6-liter V6.

Look for the 2014 ATS Coupe to enter production in January of next year, meaning a reveal later this year (LA Auto Show, perhaps?) would be in order.

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