General Motors Unveils New Futuristic Concept, Which Is a Corvette in Name Only

Seeing GM’s new Corvette concept from their British “Advanced Design Studio” instantly reminded me of a 2011 Geneva Motor Show video.The video shows Chris Bangle, famed and controversial BMW designer, looking at the Saab stand, considering their latest — and last — concept car, the PhoeniX. It’s a beautiful car, and its designer, Jason Castriota, was running Bangle through the design, explaining what he had in mind for it, citing liquid mercury and so forth. But Bangle asks one core question: “What makes it a Saab?” Castriota explained his influences well, and the car itself was beautiful. But little about the PhoeniX related to the codes of the famed Swedish brand. You can’t slap a wrap-around windshield on a coupe and claim it’s a Saab.I imagine Bangle would ask the same question about this new concept—one of three General Motors will unveil over the next year, each from a different design studio. It’s a beautiful supercar — low and wide with a classic mid-engine bubble-cockpit profile — but you’d never know it’s a Corvette.2025 Corvette Concept. Courtesy of General Motors Courtesy of General Motors The front fin lights recall the design codes of GM’s premium label, Cadillac. The wrap-around windshield borrows from Koenigsegg and Saab. The porous aero elements mirror other electric hypercars like the Lotus Evija and Porsche Mission X, while the split between smooth upper aero and aggressive lower carbon elements appears on countless modern supercars. And if you want cars that, as a whole, look like this, then Jaguar’s Vision Gran Turismo concept and Maserati’s 2005 “Birdcage” come immediately to mind — the latter designed in part by Jason Castriota.Cars Similar to Corvette Concept. Courtesy of Lotus, Porsche, Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, Pininfarina, and JaguarIn short, this concept evokes many different supercars—none of them Corvettes. Though Chevrolet’s sports car has evolved dramatically over decades—most notably with the mid-engine C8 generation—all Corvettes share the same DNA, with a big V8 and bold sportscar looks available at a relatively affordable price. Aside from the quad taillights and an homage to the 1963 Stingray’s split rear window, what does this concept have to do with that? It’s big, electric, complicated, and you won’t find Chevrolet’s cross logo anywhere. General Motors claims this design would make for a more global car than the current Corvette, but that’s a problem.2025 Corvette Concept. Courtesy of General Motors 2025 Corvette Concept. Courtesy of General Motors Growing up in Australia, I loved HSV’s Maloo because, despite being a General Motors product, it remained 100 percent Australian—a ute version of the Commodore sedan with a massive V8. Australians loved it because it was unmistakably Australian, as did petrolheads worldwide. I loved Corvettes, too; largely because they were quintessentially American sportscars. It would have been less desirable, not more, if it was a more “international” brand.HSV Maloo R8 LSA. Courtesy of HSVAs noted, this is the first Corvette concept that GM will unveil this year. Their LA studio will reveal its Corvette vision in the coming months, and toward year-end, General Motors’s Detroit design studio will present a final concept, which takes elements from the British and Californian cars and will supposedly preview what the upcoming C9 Corvette will look like. I expect it to look good. I have to hope, though, that it looks like a Corvette.2025 Corvette ZR1. Courtesy Chevrolet

General Motors Unveils New Futuristic Concept, Which Is a Corvette in Name Only

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