GM May Expand the Corvette Brand Starting With an Electric Crossover: Report

Timothy

General Motors wants to build at least one Chevrolet Corvette-inspired electric vehicle as part of a potential expansion of the Corvette brand into a family of performance vehicles, reports Bloomberg. If approved, the first new car in the Corvette lineup will be very similar to what we saw on stage in GM’s Consumer Electronics Show presentation this week: an electric crossover SUV. 

GM already has designers working on a range of Corvette-branded concepts as part of the project, which is internally codenamed “Project R” or “Brand R,” per unnamed sources familiar with the plan who spoke with Bloomberg. The idea is to attract a wider range of buyers who like the Corvette’s high-performance reputation and design but want a vehicle with more interior space or storage than the existing Corvette sports car allows. 

One person familiar with the project told Bloomberg that a Corvette SUV could go on sale as early as 2025, but would more likely hit dealerships later this decade. The new crossover model would have a profile similar to that of the Ford Mustang Mach-E or Lamborghini Urus, per Bloomberg’s sources. It would also be a full battery-electric vehicle. 

A GM spokesperson declined to comment to Bloomberg. The Drive also reached out to a GM representative, who emphasized GM’s commitment to electrificiation, but declined to comment on any unannounced future products:

“At CES, Chevrolet confirmed it will offer a refreshed Bolt EV and all-new Bolt EUV coming this summer – we will share more details next month about these. Additionally, we announced four future all-electric Chevrolets leveraging GM’s Ultium battery system – including a pickup and a compact crossover – as part of GM’s larger commitment to introduce 30 EVs globally by 2025. We have not disclosed specific timing or any other product details.

“Regarding other stories you may have seen about Corvette, while there’s lots of excitement out there, we do not comment on rumors and speculation.”

GM has considered building other performance vehicles with styling cues from the Corvette in the past, Bloomberg notes. Ford beat them to the punch with the introduction of the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover, which was an all-new type of vehicle wearing the Mustang nameplate. That decision was polarizing among enthusiasts, as some are fine with it, but others firmly believe that the name “Mustang” only belongs on a two-door Ford muscle car.

GM is also in the midst of a big push towards electrification, announcing its plans to release 30 new EVs by 2030 and unveiling a brand-new all-electric delivery vehicle brand called BrightDrop this week. The company reassigned its entire Corvette team to electric and autonomous vehicles last September, lending extra weight to Bloomberg’s report. It makes sense to task the people who know Corvettes with designing Corvette-inspired EVs. 

Either way, personally, I hate it. Corvette styling cues on other vehicles would be fine, if done well, and could even be a cool way to develop a unified styling direction for the Chevrolet brand as a whole. Calling those completely different kinds of vehicles Corvettes? Nah. Let Ford take this L by themselves, please, and leave the good name of the Corvette alone. 

Got a tip? Send us a note: [email protected]

Source Article

Next Post

Ad of the Week: The Amazing, Long-Lasting Volvo

Fuel economy numbers can be misleading, to say the least. Take the $3.6-milion Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport, for example, which with its EPA rating of 10 miles per gallon combined is one of the least efficient cars on the market right now. Does that matter to people who want one? […]

You May Like