According to US publication Car & Driver, a source inside GM has revealed that the Corvette brand will expand to a “new performance focused EV sub brand”, including an SUV and a four-door sedan. They believe the SUV is planned to be released as a model year 2025, starting production during 2024.
The Corvette SUV has been speculated to be an EV from the outset, but Car & Driver understands the vehicle will first be released with an internal combustion engine. It also believes the Corvette SUV will be based on the GM Alpha platform, like the Cadillac Blackwing vehicles. This would enable both a compact and a midsize SUV to be built, like the Porsche Macan and Cayenne. The compact version could come with the GM’s 472 HP twin-turbo V6, while the midsize version could utilise the 472 HP supercharged V8. While Car & Driver also believes a four-door will be part of the new Corvette brand, it is the SUV that creates the most interest. Car & Driver speculates the cost of the SUV will be slightly lower than the equivalent trim level version of the C8 Stingray, placing it around US$60k to US$80k in the US.
The Corvette SUV has been speculated for some time now, but Car and Driver has received a leak from GM saying this is finally happening. GM currently has no performance SUV within its range to compete with vehicles such as the Porsche Cayenne or Macan SUVs, as well as Jaguar F-Pace, Lamborghini Urus, Maserati Levante, Ferrari Purosangue, plus many others. Porsche, in particular, has found the SUV version of its brand has become its mainstay. This has prompted the big players in supercars, including Ferrari, to add SUVs to their range to exploit the value of their brand. It is obvious that the Corvette name on a performance SUV would guarantee its success. It would be imperative though that the vehicle was designed as an authentic performance vehicle.
But will the Corvette SUV be available for sale in Australia as a RHD vehicle? Anything here is pure speculation, but it is understood GM is thrilled about the success of the C8 Corvette in this country. Considering the success of the Chevy Silverado brand alongside the C8, GM must surely be finally convinced Australians love American vehicles. Both the C8 and the Silverado’s sales are limited by availability with the GMSV dealers selling as many vehicles as they are able to get their hands on. So, it would be fair to assume GM would love to sell the Corvette SUV in Australia. The big question is whether they would be able to financially justify building a RHD version or whether they would require a RHD conversion to be completed in Australia.
Either way, it is unlikely the SUV will be built at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant. If the car was built RHD at the factory, the price may start at a little under AU$200k, but converted here could arguably push the starting price to around AU$250k.