This Corvette California concept is the second of three such concepts GM plans to unveil this year.
When the C8 Corvette first emerged for the 2020 model year, it took a huge leap forward with its mid-engine design and more supercar-like design. Fast forward a bit and think in terms of what the next, next-generation Corvette might be, and we arrive here at the California Corvette concept. This rendering of GM’s future sports car comes from the automaker’s new Advanced Design California studio in Pasadena, following its UK design facility’s take on a hyper-futuristic Corvette concept debuted in April.
From a wide, two-tone body to super-thin lighting, huge wheels and a shape that appears to be dominated by aerodynamics, this California Corvette is definitely a striking concept. While GM stresses there is “no production intent” behind the design study, there are a few touches that could, maybe make it into the company’s flagship coupe in a couple generations’ time.
In its announcement, Chevrolet notes the California Corvette concept’s tunneled underbody with a lightweight carbon tub, as well as standard 21 and 22-inch wheels front to rear, an active aero spoiler and an air brake out back. The gaping holes in the front and rear of the body imagine a T-shape battery pack (yes, we are talking about an EV here), channeling airflow around and through the chassis to aid cooling and improve downforce.
Overall, the concept measures out to 182.5 inches long, 86 inches wide and 41.4 inches tall, on a 109-inch wheelbase. On that basis, it’s not too much off the existing C8, though it does measure out wider and longer by about six inches, while having about the same amount lopped off its height. Chevrolet says the battery pack’s shape allows lower seating, to the point where cabin space may feel roughly similar to what you can expect in the current Corvette, without being quite as tall (not that the C8 is up in the sky, by any stretch).
Inside, the California concept gets even more simulator-like.
Designers always seem to gravitate toward yoke-style steering setups with an embedded touchscreen in the center, and that’s exactly what we have here in the California Corvette concept. Here, GM notes its racing simulator inspiration, as well as a drive to make the interior feel like a fighter cockpit. To that end, you get “performance focused displays”, as well as an augmented reality head-up display that projects essential information out into the driver’s line of sight, instead of relying on massive infotainment screens to get the job done.
There’s also a clear dividing wall separating the passenger, and keeping the driver focused on the task in hand. That said, you do get a center-placed wireless charging pad for your smartphone…so it’s not like GM’s designers completely eschewed any practical elements from this concept’s design.
Again, we won’t see this exact one-of-one example of a future-generation Corvette roaming the streets or race tracks. That said, GM’s design studios around the world are clearly thinking of what the model’s future can (or should) be. This particular concept actually keeps a few more classic Corvette cues in the mix, so it feels a little more real-world than the UK studio’s vision, to my eye.
We still have one more concept to go, though, so we’ll have to keep an eye out for that to emerge later this year. Odds are, we’ll see a next-generation C9 Corvette before the close of this decade, where we may see some of these design elements make their way in. Whether the upcoming Corvette will go all-electric, my guess is probably not (though a C10 may well be a full EV) — but never say never, right?
