Chevrolet has unveiled not one but two new Corvette concepts and while they look striking, the most stunning feature is underneath - a tiny 2.0-litre engine.
The new Corvette CX and CX.R are the latest in an on-going global design project from Chevy to outline the future of the iconic sports car, now that it is mid-engine. But while design is the focus, Chevrolet has taken things a step further and imagined a radically new powertrain.
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These virtual Corvettes (which are part of the on-goin Vision Gran Turismo video game project) are powered by a 2.0-litre dual-overhead-cam twin-turbo V8 engine. The tiny engine is dramatically smaller than the current 5.5- and 6.2-litre V8s offered in the current C8 models.
But that’s not all, Chevrolet has also envisioned the Corvette with three electric motors, which means the CX.R can rev to 15,000rpm and make nearly 1500kW of power (at least it can virtually).
While this is no guarantee Chevy will downsize the next-generation Corvette, it does make that a distinct possibility. As do the increasingly strict emissions laws around the world, which are requiring performance car makers to get more creative with how they balance power, efficiency and customer demands.
Chevrolet has already launched the Corvette E-Ray hybrid with the eighth-generation model, but clearly a downsized V8 is something the company is considering to make the ‘Vette more fuel efficient.
These latest design studies join the previously released concepts from General Motors design studios in Birmingham, England and California, USA. These are part of an on-going public showcase of Chevrolet’s exploration of future design themes for the Corvette.
While stressing this latest CX was not for production, the official announcement made it clear that these two “will serve as inspiration to inform Corvette design language for years to come.”
Phil Zak, executive design director for Chevrolet, said the company’s designers are working on pushing the Corvette into the future while retaining elements of the model’s long history.
“While the shape of a Corvette has always been expressive and forward-looking, each crease and line has its roots in the generations that came before it,” Zak explained. “It is aspirational, it is cultural, it is the reason people want to come and work at Chevrolet. The CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo demonstrate our design teams stepping away from the constraints of production vehicles and unleashing their creativity. Through this exercise, we’ve added to Corvette and defined the design direction for Corvette moving forward.”
However, don’t expect the fighter jet-inspired canopy opening to make production, but the overall sillouhette and interior treatment likely do point to future elements that could make the showroom.
The ninth-generation Corvette is still likely a few years away, with the current model only five years old and yet to go through a major mid-life refresh.
