Chevrolet is done with creating new Corvette C8 variants, as one of the brand’s closest executives to the sports car has confirmed the Grand Sport is effectively the curtain closer for the current generation.
Excluding the first Corvette Grand Sport back in the second-generation C2, all other iterations of the Grand Sport – the C5, C6 and C7 – have been the last new variants of the Corvette to launch, a trend which appears to have continued with the C8.
Josh Holder, chief engineer of the Corvette, told The Gas podcast Chevrolet will continue to make minor revisions to the C8, though we shouldn’t expect any new grades until the arrival of its C9 successor.
“[…] as you look at the Corvette’s history, [the Grand Sport] has been introduced late in the lifecycle of a generation,” Holder said.
“We obviously strategise how cars are going to do in the marketplace and when it’s time to refresh a generation of Corvettes, so you can expect that same formula.
“I won’t go into when the next generation of car is going to come out, but of course we’re always working on the next Corvette.
“It’s hard to say that we’re ever done. We’re never completely done. We’re always tweaking and improving things. But as far as a model lineup, the Grand Sport is going to round out the eighth generation of Corvette.”
The Grand Sport holds an important place in the history of the C8 then, especially as it debuted General Motors’ new sixth-generation small-block V8, getting the LS6 variant – a 6.7-litre mill.
Chevrolet launched the C8 Corvette – the first iteration of the nameplate to be mid-engined – in early 2020, with the sports car now in its seventh year on sale, though the past year has seen the launch of three new variants in the Grand Sport, Grand Sport X (replacing the E-Ray), and the mind-bending ZR1X.
Recent generations of Corvette had production runs ranging from five to eight years, placing the C8 very close to the end of its lifecycle in comparison.
It’s not yet known what lies ahead of the Corvette. In the past two years, two concepts – one from GM’s new UK design studio and another from its California team – have shown what the model could look like in the future if it does go all-electric, providing even more freedom for its overall shape.
Chevrolet made clear both Corvette EV concepts won’t be put into production, however we’re now in fifth year of the C8 Corvette, which means it’s coming up on the limit for production of its predecessors, and a new ‘C9’ could be not too far away.
While going electric could happen in the Corvette’s future, General Motors President, Mark Reuss, told the InsideEVs Podcast last year that the ingredients aren’t there yet to give the iconic model full battery power.
“It [a Corvette EV] can be done. We’ve shown a slew of concept cars that are electric based,” Reuss said.
“I wouldn’t say the propulsion system was something that was true to form on those concept cars, but [it was] very interesting, allowed us to do a lot of different things, which electric vehicles do on form and design, and the aesthetic piece.
“But I think the status of the electrified corvette is the ZR1X that I’m driving now, and that’s awesome. It’s using electricity to do the right things with a Corvette. All-wheel drive, 1200hp+, using it for power, using it for speed, using it for ride and handling, using it for traction is [a] a great use of electricity on a Corvette.
“An all-electric Corvette, to make a Corvette do what a Corvette’s supposed to do, is not something that’s easy right now. What I’m talking about is when you get into mass from a vehicle dynamics standpoint, when you get into thermal performance.
“You can make advances in those, which we have, but I’m not sure the character of the Corvette and a buyer of the Corvette is ready to be the recipient of that effort quite yet.
“Never say never, that’s why we’ve got to keep investing in technology, and R&D.”
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