- Chevrolet revealed the all-new 2020 C8 Corvette tonight in California.
- This generation is the largest departure for the model to date, moving to an entirely new, mid-engine platform.
- The entry-level C8 Corvette is the Stingray, and it has an updated 6.2-liter LT2 V8 engine.
- GM’s LT2 engine puts out up to 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque, mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
- Chevy has yet to announce pricing, more powerful models and an on-sale date for the C8 Corvette
It’s been 60 years in the making.
There’s a hallowed name among Corvette enthusiasts: Zora Arkus-Duntov. He’s the main who conceived the notion of a mid-engined Corvette over 50 years ago. GM flirted with several concepts over the decades, but none had ever come to fruition. Until now. This is it — the all-new 2020 C8 Chevrolet Corvette. We know it’s been a seriously long time coming, with almost 60 years of anticipation leading up to this moment.
But what else is there to know about the 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette? Fortunately, we now have more details thanks to tonight’s official live stream. With that in mind, here is absolutely everything the company had to share about the all-new C8 Corvette. We are feverishly working on more video coverage from the event at time of writing, and will update this post with new videos and any other information we find out.
This is a developing post. Please stay tuned for more information. We may update this next post over the next few hours with corrections or new information.
The style
A lot of you have already commented that this new C8 Corvette Stingray looks like a Ferrari. Largely, that’s down to the new layout, as it’s meant to be a sports car to take on its European contemporaries. Chevrolet Corvette product manager Harlan Charles pegs this car as a true exotic, and says the development team’s goal was to create the “car of peoples’ dreams”. Whether you love or hate the new styling and layout of the C8 Corvette, you have to admit it’s striking, even against the aggressive styling of the outgoing C7 generation.
The Corvette’s interior also takes an exotic approach what we’ve been used to in older generations. Here, there’s a new squared off steering wheel, festooned in buttons with a two-spoke design and paddles for the eight-speed transmission. What also stands out is just how much of the interior is aimed toward the driver. The infotainment screen is sharply tilted toward the driver, and the digital instrument cluster is front in center of the cockpit design.
Weirdly, though, are many of the HVAC controls. There’s a long strip of buttons toward the passenger side of the car, cascading down the center stack away from the infotainment screen. The temperature controls for driver and passenger are at the ends of the long line of buttons. The heated and cooled seat controls, the defrost and fan controls are all located there. These controls don’t seem terribly convenient for the driver to operate, especially while on the move.
Materials look markedly more upscale than previous Corvette generations. The color-contrast stitching is a nice touch, as is the dash and seat materials. The buttons for transmission controls remove the old gear selector. Apart from the strip of buttons down the center, it appears GM sprung for a more minimalist design, which is good if you want to focus on the actual driving.
The performance
Lurking within the 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray revealed tonight is a 6.2-liter V8, now dubbed LT2. Its a familiar powertrain to what was in the old C7 generation, but now it produces more power. This engine puts out 490 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque, an increase of 35 horsepower and 10 lb-ft of torque on the old model. Unlike the outgoing car, however, there is no row-your-own option here. This engine mates up exclusively to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Of course, that power goes to the rear wheels, as Corvette faithful contend it should.
There are four drive modes familiar from the old Corvette: Weather, Tour, Sport and Track. However, there’s one new one: Z-Mode. That allows drivers to customize virtually every aspect of the car for a track day. Once you do that, you can get back to those settings with a single button.
The optional Z51 Performance Package bumps the power figure up to 495 horsepower. That adds a performance exhaust system into the mix, and that sort of power helps shrink the already small 0-60 time. How quick is it? Chevrolet contends the Stingray can make the sprint in under three seconds. Yes, an entry-level Corvette that’s as fast as a lot of six-figure exotics out there. That puts it on par with the swan song of the C7 generation, the massively powerful ZR1.
Living with the C8 Corvette
Despite the new layout, there is still some room for a reasonable amount of luggage in the 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette. Now, bear in mind that means a medium-sized suitcase or two golf bags, but that’s still not bad. Not only that, but owners can lift the roof out for an open-air experience as well. That keeps in spirit with past Corvette models. The Corvette has always been more of a practical sports car than some of the competition, and to that end you can raise the car’s nose to prevent damaging the front end in low-clearance areas.
Chevrolet also offers three kinds of seats: GT1, GT2 and Sport, so you have some option how you want them to look and feel. There are twelve exterior color options and six interior color choices as well.
There is, as you’d expect, a higher barrier to entry with the new Corvette over the old model. Chevrolet has not announced official pricing yet. However, Chevrolet says the new model still start under $60,000. That is a significant increase from the C7. That said, if the car really can hit 60 mph in less than three seconds, that’s nothing short of a bargain. Against the likes of the exotics this car is gunning for, that makes the 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette a performance bargain.
The 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette will go into production in late 2019. As always, GM will build the car in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
