What is it? Officially, its Sideswipe, a character in the upcoming movie "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." In the movie, it will unfold and pivot itself into a giant, walking humanoid robot. Unofficially, its also a design study for the next-generation Corvette. That doesn't mean it will actually be built or look like this. Its a concept.

What is new or notable: Chevrolet has a long history of Corvette concept cars that lend design elements to eventual production cars, but dont see the light of day in complete form. This Stingray, er, Sideswipe, harkens back to two earlier concepts, the Sting Ray, which eventually led to the second-generation, 1960s (C2) Corvettes, and the Mako Shark, which morphed into the voluptuous 1968-1982 (C3) Vettes. It also incorporates the split rear window of the iconic 1963 coupe. But it is simultaneously more aggressive, angular, and bulbous than any of those cars.

CR's take: More than a Sting Ray, this concept looks like a revival of the production third-generation Mako Shark Corvette to us. As with the Mako Shark, the idea seems to be to make the Corvette look brasher and bolder, with huge fender flares and prominent creases and angles, rather than the more compact, and tider sports car the fourth and current sixth generation of Corvettes represent.

In any case, its clear that at least for 2009, General Motors has limited resources to pursue a new Corvette. Like the C3 and C4 before it, the current C6 seems destined to soldier on for while.

When will it be available? Likely never.

Consumer Reports New cars: A to Z

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