GM to Offer In-Car Performance Telemetry for Corvette

Next autumn Chevrolet Corvette Stingray buyers will have the option of equipping their cars with a system that documents their driving by combining engine, transmission, brake and steering telemetry with cockpit audio and a high-definition video of the road ahead.

General Motors Co. unveiled the system, dubbed the performance data recorder (PDR), on Sunday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Pricing for the technology will be announced next autumn when the 2015 model Stingray goes into production.

Chevy developed the PDR with Cosworth Group, the British motorsport engineering company that supplies similar capabilities for GM's Corvette racing team.

The Stingray system uses GPS to monitor the car's position on the road or racetrack. It also taps into the car's controller area network for data about engine speed, gear selection, steering wheel angle and braking force. For track use, drivers can employ the system's Cosworth software to superimpose lap traces on an aerial view of the circuit and provide turn-by-turn comparisons of speed, corning force and other measures.

Drivers can replay the video on the Stingray's standard 8-inch monitor when the car is at rest. They also can download the file to an SD card in the glove box and transfer it to a computer. GM says an 8-GB card can store about 200 minutes of video and data.

The system isn't just for the race track. Operators also can select sport, touring and performance modes that vary the type and amount of data displayed.