This past December, GM Authority exclusively reported the mid-engine C8 Corvette was plagued by electrical issues and the program had been delayed six months. It left the final North American International Auto Show held in the winter without a big splash he had predicted for well over a year.
Now, it appears there’s a new rumor that backs up our source who spoke of the electrical issue because a Corvette Forum user claims production of the mid-engine C8 Corvette has been pushed back until December.
If we follow the previous pieced-together timeline, the C8 Corvette should have debuted this past January with production starting this summer. Plenty of reports followed a similar timetable. However, we now also know the mid-engine Corvette is slated to debut at a standalone event this summer, perhaps as early as this May. That would coincide with production possibly moving to December 2019. A debut at the 2019 New York International Auto Show has been ruled out, per our sources. Previously, we assumed if the car was to debut inside the auto show circuit, New York would be the next logical place. The original 1953 Corvette debuted at GM’s annual Motorama event decades ago.
As always, we take information such as this with a grain of salt. There’s no way to confirm the user’s information, although he or she claims he works for a supplier affiliated with General Motors. What we do know is we’re likely pretty darn close judging by recent spy photos that show even less camouflage tacked onto the mid-engine Corvette than ever before. We can even see production lighting behind the camo now.
When the car does debut, we expect to see an upgraded 6.2-liter LT1 V8 engine serve as the base powertrain. However, new engines will come further down the line, including flat-crank DOHC mills displacing 5.5 liters with two turbos attached for good measure. A naturally aspirated variant is also purported, as is the potential for a Corvette hybrid with all-wheel drive and close to 1,000 horsepower.
Comments
Maybe it will be the Indianapolis 500 pace car. That would be a grand introduction. If I recall correctly, the Dodge Viper paced the race before it entered production also.
Fanbois above and below drinking the “electrical issue” Kool Aid and assuming this is just a drum roll and the General is just waiting for the right moment to unleash this thing.
Perhaps instead of creating a viable sports car, they created a case study as to why the Lambos and R8s of the world aren’t cheap, and they might be attempting some sort of damage control, someone finally asked the question why build a Vette costing 2X if we are having a hard time selling them at 1X.
The selling point for Corvette has always been price, and they took that argument away themselves by putting the engine in the wrong place. Nobody will care that it goes around a track .5 seconds faster.
You will look foolish when you are exposed as the troll you are with the price announcement.
The reason Lamborghini is expensive is because they can ask the price.
You will find this car icost little more than the one it replaces. The cost difference will mostly be due to added content
The difference in lap times is not all about time. It is that the car will be much easier to make those times as it is not trying to jump out from under you with high polar movements with the weight at the end of the chassis.
Even on just winding roads it will have a much better feel.
Anyone who can afford the present car will be able to afford this one.
Just why do you think moving the engine will double the cost?
This car will have the same engine. In base form not much if any carbon fiber. It already uses a trans axle. So just what cost more moving the engine.
The increases here will be for features they can offer here that the old car. Hold not package like a future AWD system. The missing duel clutch that has been needed. The gps lift for the nose so you will not scrape the nose as you do now. Etc.
Best comment goes to Tigger below. Everyone should read it as it is spot on.
Tigger is a UAW/Unifor troll who thinks he can rally a nation unto his cause of organized labour of the heavy manufacturing sector; like it’s matter to anyone since the 1920’s in this day and age.
The only thing he’s missing is an acoustic guitar, then he’ll be really out of step.
Well I said they should launch it on December 25th at The National Corvette Museum and call it the Zora. The legendary Corvette chief engineer, Zora Arkus Duntov, was born on Christmas Day in 1909 and his ashes are entombed at the Corvette Museum so it would be a fitting tribute to him to launch the first mid-engined Corvette there on the 110th anniversary of his birth. Nobody was a bigger proponent of a mid-engined Corvette than Zora.
I suggested that last year and now apparently another year will pass before the car is ready so the opportunity arises again.
Yep that is a good idea?
The one day of the year that the Media would not even cover a nuclear strike you intro a car.
Even if anyone showed up I am sure the media would be thrilled to leave their families force to do something that could easily be done 364 better days a year.
Duntov is dead but if alive I would wager he would be skiing in the Alps and drinking brandy that day vs going to a press conference.
Yeah, no doubt there is that, it’s a bad time but there is also the symbology of the date and these days social media never takes a day off; not even for Christmas. So, GM announces they’ll have a Christmas present for car lovers everywhere but they’ll have to wait till Christmas night. Then GM livestreams it at say 8:00 PM and it becomes big news the next day. I won’t argue that it is still fraught with challenges but if the car is delayed till December anyway and it is the fruition of what Arkus-Duntov fought for since the 1960s, it’d be a nice tribute.
Symbolism’s mean little in selling cars.
If a car is shown and no one is watching then who will see it.
In this day of cost you want every bit of publicity you can get per dollar.
Besides even 90% of the Vette owners have no idea what day Duntov was born.
Where art thou Zora, Chevy needeth thee
Alas, a summer unveil was not meant to be
Wait another long two seasons we must,
As Stingrays in dealerships now gather dust
Come quickly Zora, thou mid-engine beast
And unleash upon the world a super car feast
Remember, it under Mary “Machete” Barra’s “leadership.”. Hence the delay once again and dropping sales in many other vehicles.
this is why GM is still building C-7s so the dealers have something to sell this summer.
Motorman,
The Corvette plant builds C7s because they have nothing else to build. Corvette will go extinct without an SUV. Fat AZZ Muricans are demanding big ugly SUVs, so give it to them.
This is the first time I’ve noticed that the car offers red seat belts. I’m liking it more and more.
Come on, Chevy, please hurry with the reveal. The longer the wait, the higher the risk of some unfavorable or unflattering leak.
It’s incredible that the C8 has taken this long to get to market. GM has been in business for a century, and it takes the more than six years to develop and get the thing in production. They should hire Elon Musk to lend his development expertise. I hope they are already working on the 2028 C9.
It could be argued that GM has been working on this car for 50 years, not a mere six. The mid-engined Corvette was first proposed as the XP-882 in the late 1960s and many proposals have been built since including the gullwing-door AeroVette concept from 1977 that was reportedly approved for production only to be later shelved.
Well you have a very basic view of this.
#1 this car was started around 2006 and was put aside with the bail out. Coming out of bail out it was determined to do a refresh to the present C7 to give them more time to get the change over to mid engine right.
Both programs were active but the C8 was held up as money was going to the programs were all the money comes from as in trucks and CUV models.
You have to take care of business before you play. The Vette makes a profit but not like the other models like a Equinox that sells nearly 500k models a year.
As for Mr Musk just how late were the X models? How about the folks who waited years to get their 3 models? Then they got the bait and switch to cheaper interiors during production.
Musk is an ego ladened wack job who will at som3 point have a very sad ending.
Since the manufacturing of the new mid engine Vette starts very late this year, it will be labeled as a 2021 model, which means delivery to customers will be after January 1st. Canadian’s won’t be able to get delivery of a following year 2021 model until after the end of March 2020. Americans can take delivery of any 2021 model after January 1st of the previous model year. There will be a huge demand for Europe because the cost of the new mid engine Vette, will be very competitive with any European made supercars, especially those made in Italy.
With few exceptions, model years start 3 months ahead of the calendar year. It’s been that way for some time now.
It sure is gonna be bad if it comes with lots of problems after this delay.
I wonder if any of this has to do with the fact that Machete Mary laid off so many engineers? Heck, if GM cannot get the electrical system right on a single ICE car, how are they going to build full electrics by the hundreds of thousands?
Tigger has a point.
It is a black eye on Mary Barra’s leadership. Reverting to old GM incompetency it seems.
I am hopeing these delays is to get everything just perfect with no defects out the gate. I am also hopeing it will be stunning in every way. At this point and time GM need a perfect vehicle from the ground up . They have been so bad in previous launches they just have to get this right.
I like the new body but it needs some feeling for it. I’ll buy it and rate it 11/10. Price for it :$27,795? Chevrolet ? Also, can we have a classic 1953 interior please and a replica of the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette ?