GM’s New UK Design Team Pushes Chevy Corvette Concept to Hypercar Status

If General Motors wanted to make a splash with the introduction of its new UK design studio, they managed it with the release of one of the center’s creative studies: an all-electric Chevy Corvette hypercar.

What’s coming next for the Corvette has been the subject of much speculation. The C8, introduced in 2021, marked the move from a front- to mid-engine powertrain to the delight of performance enthusiasts. And some grumbles from some loyalists who aren’t fond of change.

However, the new “advanced design study” Chevrolet Corvette concept car isn’t the Corvette we’re all used to, instead borrowing some of the design characteristics of past models while creating an all-new look using clean forms and muscular shapes.

“As part of the Corvette creative study, we asked multiple studios to develop hypercar concepts, which we’ll see more of later this year,” said Michael Simcoe, senior VP of global design, as part of the reveal of the design and discussion of the new UK center.

“It was important that they all pay homage to Corvette’s historic DNA, but each studio brought their own unique creative interpretation to the project. That is exactly what our advanced design studio network is intended to do – push the envelope, challenge convention and imagine what could be.”

 

The new look

The resulting hypercar concept is essentially divided into two halves: upper and lower. The upper half incorporates “classic” Corvette design elements with a futuristic bent.

In fact, it even incorporates a version of the split window from the early ’60s Corvette and the angular front end of ’70s models. The design also draws inspiration from the aviation industry, both in the sculptural and functional elements. However, the bottom half of the car is all about the here and now and the future.

It focuses on focuses on functional technical design, including EV battery technology embedded into the structure and aerodynamics elements designed to channel air efficiently without the need for wings or spoilers.

“One of the most unusual and significant aspects of our concept’s design is a feature known as Apex Vision,” said Julian Thomson, who heads up the new UK design studio.

“A nod to Corvette’s centerline focus, and inspired by the iconic ‘split window’ 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, this feature emphasizes a singular vertical central spine that is also a structural element, also providing a panoramic view of the road and surroundings.”

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Plenty of opinions

While plenty of employees had input into this creative exercise, GM officials were quick to remind it is just that: an exercise. They also noted several more, including one for a GMC vehicle, will be coming in the days and months ahead.

The new studio is an integral part of GM’s plan to reintroduce itself to the European market after it sold off its Opel unit in 2017 to France’s PSA Group, then headed by Carlos Tavares, who later took over at Stellantis.

Since its debut in the summer of 2019, several iterations of the C8 have hit the roads, including Stingray, Z06, ZR1 and the first-ever electrified Corvette, the E-Ray. It pushed the Corvette into a new realm with all-wheel drive and a zero-to-60 time of just 2.5 seconds — later eclipsed by the new ZR1 which ran the sprint in just 2.3 seconds.

Reports of an all-electric Corvette capable of 1,000 horsepower, and dubbed “The Zora,” have been floating for years. However, they gained new life a few years ago when GM President Mark Reuss confirmed an all-electric C8 was undergoing testing. He suggested it could arrive as early as 2023; however, what’s been delivered is the aforementioned E-Ray hybrid.