During Americarna‘s recent visit to the General Motors design studio to film, the camera crew may have done us quite the favor in the process. While visiting Christine Park’s workspace, a designer at GM, the camera catches something of interest to us.
As the host is busy commentating about how Park suggests she’s working on a Chevrolet “sports car” (and says it looks quite like a Camaro), the show brushes over the real news happening here.
Beginning at the 1:21 mark, just to the right of Park hangs a design sketch board, and the vehicle on the right looks decidedly mid-engined if you ask us. A Corvette emblem also clearly adorns the design sketch, with C7-esque headlamps flanking massive wheel arches. Did we just have our first look at what GM is dreaming up for a mid-engined Corvette? It seems to be so.
We already know a mid-engined Corvette is surely under development, judging by the cleverly disguised prototype snapped running about in Michigan, wearing Holden Commodore Ute cladding. But until now, we could have only left design to our imaginations. This is the first time we have something even relevant to lay our eyes on, and a look at what the Corvette team may have up their sleeves.
The front fascia wears many wedges, and sharp design lines, akin to Corvette styling, but most definitely an elevation from where Corvette design has ever treaded. Besides this full-frontal view, side profile and rear design still are left to imagination.
We can’t imagine GM would be so naive as to leave this out in plain view, and then continue to allow cameras to roll capturing it within frame. Especially as Ed Welburn stands idly by. Maybe it’s nothing, but we’re pretty sure this really is something.
Have a look for yourself right down below.
Comments
I was watching this show and stopped to look at many of the drawings.
GM may have given us an Easter Egg but again many and most of the photos were just concept drawings so it is difficult to day at this point there was really anything there.
we did get a peak at the Bolt and they took Ray into the Buick Studio and he was blown away I expect with Buicks offering For Detroit they could not show. Note the Show was filmed last fall.
the Clay SUV did have some merit. It may have had some details we will see in a Future SUV.
I have the show recorded and will do some time watching it and also watch for hints of things we saw going into the future.
The people at GM are very good at Easter eggs and watching this and how Ed Welburn throws in how the clay is “Art and Science” I think the clay SUV/CUV may be hinting at a cadillac vehicle… Or is that just me?
The clay SUV has wheels from a Chevy. If you look close, you can see the yellow bowtie and they look almost identical to those found on top trim Impalas. The question is what Chevy SUV? My guess is it is the next Equinox, judging by its size. If you look at the video at 1:17 there is a large rendering of an SUV on the wall though most of it is blocked. My guess is the clay model is based on the rendering.
Ok cool! Thats what I started thinking after I posted that… That makes more sense!
That was my guess that it was a Chevy based on the wheels shape but hard to say.
Wheels are at times a help but also they used wheels from other models just as a prop.
But with that said I think you do have the right idea.
Aren’t those wheels from the impala?
These things don’t happen by mistake. The last “mistake” that I’m aware of in a GM design tour, was when car mags saw a glimpse of clay models of the second-gen Solstice. They even managed to get the major sites that wrote it up, to take it down, quickly.
It’s gonna be a Cadillac!!! 😉