C7 Corvette rendered by design student with good ideas

It isn’t easy redesigning an icon, especially one as popular and well-known as the Chevrolet Corvette. Nevertheless, a seventh-generation Corvette is coming, and while rumors of an exotic mid-engine layout for America’s supercar are unlikely to pan out, it’s possible that the Bowtie brand’s designers could take the Corvette’s look in an entirely new direction.

Student designer James Robbins has his own ideas for what the C7 Corvette will look like. His renderings look like a logical next step in the car’s design evolution, though we’re not fans of some of the details. We particularly like the rear end’s reimagination of the Corvette’s signature round taillamps, albeit perhaps without some of the edgy detailing on the car’s hood. What say you? Check out the rest of the renderings in the gallery below and let us know what you think of Robbins’ C7 Corvette.

Are you the facelifted 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG?

Now that we’ve seen the facelifted 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class in its bread-and-butter C250, C300 and C350 forms, it’s time to start thinking about the holier-than-thou, unabashedly hardcore C63 AMG. The folks at Germany’s EvoCars have stumbled upon what appear to be production-spec images of the AMG-laden 2012 C-Class, and while the brash bulginess of the current car has been toned down somewhat, there’s certainly nothing sedate about this new menacing Merc.

The biggest question about the next-generation C63 is whether or not Mercedes-Benz will ditch the current car’s glorious naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 in favor of the new twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter mill that will be used in the CL63, S63 and CLS63. EvoCars states that only the new C63 AMG Coupe will receive the 5.5-liter heart, and that power of the 6.2 will be bumped up for use in the sedan. Still, with either engine, we’re sure the C63 will be as lively as ever out on the road.

2012 Mustang 5.0 comes with lower price, new features

For those of you desperate to get your hands on Ford’s new 5.0-liter Mustang GT, it just got a little easier. Pricing has dropped for the base model of the 412-horsepower pony car by $500 for the 2012 model year, edging back under the 30k mark to $29,995. In contrast, the Premium GT model sees a price increase of $200 while the Premium GT Convertible is $700 more than last year.

While the 2012 Mustang lineup carries over relatively unchanged, there are a few updates to keep the cars fresh. Ford will be offering a new color, Lava Red Metallic, available on both the exterior and interior, while Sterling Gray Metallic will no longer be available. Ford has also added a few minor features like a universal garage door opener and sun visors with a storage system and illuminated vanity mirrors, and the EPAS steering system will now also come with three modes – Comfort, Normal and Sport.a

National Automotive History Collection dubs Chevy Camaro ‘Collectible Car of the Future’

If you’re looking for the most collectible American-made vehicle on sale right now, you might want to stop by your local Chevrolet dealer. According to the Friends of the National Automotive History Collection, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro is the most collectible car on sale right now. Each year, members of the organization get together to vote for the single domestically produced car or truck that’s bound to be a good return on investment later down the line. There’s no arguing that the 2010 Camaro is a hot piece of metal, but we could think of a few other vehicles that could have nabbed the honor.

Such as? We’re glad you asked.

If it were us picking, we’d lay a finger on the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. With the amount of abuse those trucks are designed to take, we can imagine that the future won’t exactly be littered with operational examples, much less show-room quality trucks. Throw the simple fact that Ford will only build a small number of the desert pounders compared to the fleets of Camaro models rolling out of Canada, and you’ve got an even better case for a future moneymaker. But hey, who are we to argue with the group that picked theChrysler Sebring Convertible as a winner in 1996? Hit the jump for the full press release.

Chevy to unveil Volt-based Amp crossover in Detroit

According to Car and Driver, General Motors may have something special planned for the Detroit Auto Showin January. Word on the web is that The General is planning to pull back the sheets on the next vehicle to use the extended-range hybrid drivetrain from the Chevrolet Volt. The next branch in GM’s electrified family tree will be a five-seat crossover, potentially called the Chevrolet Amp. Using the same basic architecture, engine, motor and batteries from the Volt, a production Amp would help GM spread its substantial Voltec development costs over more than one model.

GM has been making noise about a crossover with Volt guts for some time, and thanks to the sleuth work of the detectives at Car and Driver, we know we may be closer than ever to seeing the vehicle become a reality. The company has gone through the pains to register a host of web domain names associated with the Amp moniker, some of which were snapped up as recently as October. Combined with the unveiling of the Volt MPV5 Concept at the 2010 Beijing Motor Show, there’s a good chance that a battery-operated Crossover will grace Detroit with its presence next month.