The 2029 (Yes, You Read That Right) Chevrolet Corvette C9 Will Still Pack Internal Combustion Power

GM Authority cites sources in the know who confirm you'll still have an ICE engine for the rest of this decade

(Images: Chevrolet)
  • A new GM Authority report covers the upcoming C9-generation Chevrolet Corvette, which will supposedly debut as a 2029 model.
  • That means the current C8 is sticking around for awhile, but even the next generation will still pack an internal combustion engine.
    • The last C7 Corvette lasted for 5 years (2014-2019), while the C6 lasted 8 years (2005-2013).
    • Even as the automaker moves toward electrification — even for some models under a “Corvette” sub-brand — the original Corvette will still assumedly use a V8 engine for at least the rest of the decade.
    • The next-generation C9 Corvette will reportedly use a modified version of the current C8’s Y2 platform.

The Chevrolet Corvette isn’t going completely electric for a good while yet.

It’s been a bit of a topsy-turvy week for GM news, as we’re actually discussing new internal combustion engines while staring down a veritable landslide of electric vehicles coming down the pipeline. In tandem with the automaker’s official investment in a next-generation small-block V8, GM Authority is stoking the rumor mill with some juicy details on the next-generation C9 Chevrolet Corvette.

The upshot? It reportedly won’t be going fully electric as soon as we anticipated. Instead, it will still use an internal combustion engine when it debuts in the next several years.

And when I say “several” years, we’re talking about a 2028 debut at this point — at least half a decade away. Keep in mind that even the current C8 generation has been around for three years now, and it’ll evidently be with us for a long time to come.

2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray

That’s not to say there won’t be an electric model under the Corvette banner…

The 2029 Chevrolet Corvette C9, according to sources close to the matter, will ride on a modified version of the current generation’s Y2 platform. Sticking with the C8 for a moment, we are also still expecting two more variants to arrive in the next two or so years: the hardcore ZR1, and the even harder-core Zora. At the moment, we have the Stingray, the Z06 and the newly revealed, hybrid E-Ray.

However, GM has grander ambitions for the Corvette sub-brand as a whole. The company is currently working on Ultium-based electric models, including a potential sedan and even a crossover, whether you like that last bit or not. After all, the company still has to bring something to compete against, say, the Ford Mustang Mach-E as well as the Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan and many other EV players entering the field.

Like previous Corvettes, the upcoming C9 generation will still come from the Bowling Green, Kentucky assembly plant. In the meantime, the electric Corvette models, built on GM’s “BEV Prime” architecture per GM Authority, may emerge from GM’s Lansing Grand River assembly plant in 2026.

While it will likely be some time before General Motors goes on record confirming the C9 Corvette report, it does line up with its plans to launch a sixth-generation small-block V8. Yesterday’s announcement only mentions trucks and full-size SUVs (they’ll obviously see it first), but I’d be surprised if the company didn’t use this powertrain in the next-generation Corvette as well.

Time, as ever, will tell.