Few nameplates are as historic or carry as much weight as Chevrolet’s Corvette. Since 1953, the Corvette has been seen as America’s sports car with two doors, powerful engines, two rear seats, and power going to the rear wheels. The Corvette formula has remained constant since its inception. With Ford spinning the Mustang into an electric SUV and the Hummer turning into an all-electric spinoff under the GMC brand, Chevrolet believes that now is the time to use the Corvette name for its own sub-brand.
The news comes from unnamed sources that spoke with Car and Driver, who claim that several new versions of the C8 Corvette are in the works, including possibilities like the E-Ray hybrid, ZR1, and Zora hybrid. Chevrolet is even looking into an all-electric Corvette EV that utilizes General Motors’ Ultium batteries and architecture. If we’re honest, these Corvette spin-offs don’t sound radical.
Thanks to its newfound performance from gaining a mid-engine design, the Corvette offers more performance than before with the current Z06 getting close to being a supercar. Exotic supercars have started to gain electrified powertrains, like the new Ferrari 296 GTB, to increase performance and slightly improve fuel economy in the process. Adding an electrified powertrain would raise the Corvette’s playing field to match exotic vehicles.
Where things get really spicy is when Car and Driver claims that Chevrolet’s plans include a new Corvette brand. The brand will see the Corvette name expand beyond sports cars and be used on a four-door coupe, as well as a crossover. The outlet believes that both of these models will be all-electric.
Sure, sports cars like the Corvette draw consumers in and give people a goal for when they retire or when they’re going through a midlife crisis, but limiting the nameplate to a single body style means that Chevrolet is missing out on a boatload of potential profits.
Porsche is a great example of how much money an automaker can get when it expands to new body styles, as the Cayenne and the Macan have quickly become the brand’s best-selling vehicles by a wide margin. Porsche sold over 22,000 Macans in 2021, but only about 10,000 911s.
Chevrolet does run the risk of diluting the Corvette name by coming out with more models and body styles under a new sub-brand, but things have gone well for Ford with the Mustang and Mach-E, despite the dumb name. Plus, the allure of making money is too great to worry about upsetting the few that actually care about things like names.
