General Motors has unveiled a fully finished, future-looking Chevrolet Corvette electric car concept produced entirely in Britain, to underscore the importance of its large and impressive new UK advanced design studio.
The recently opened studio in Leamington Spa is led by Julian Thomson, previously Jaguar’s head of design. Thomson has also worked for other manufacturers including Volkswagen and Lotus and was responsible for the creation of design icons such as the original Lotus Elise and the Range Rover Evoque.
The opening of a new design outpost comes as part of a push by GM to re-establish itself in Europe following a decade-long absence. GM-owned Cadillac’s new Lyriq EV is already available in certain markets in the region and the smaller, Europe-focused Optiq crossover is due to follow in the coming months – and both are due in the UK eventually.
The new Chevrolet concept is the first of three studies from GM studios to be shown this year as part of a global Corvette design project. The UK-designed concept is intended to contribute ideas and influence a single, final show car that will be unveiled in the second half of this year, possibly at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.
That design will then inform the development of a replacement for the current Corvette C8, expected around 2028, though at this stage GM isn’t confirming that the Corvette C9 will be a pure-electric car.
Company sources also say that while there is no production intent for the UK design – or the other two concepts, both from US studios – the new 30-strong British team was specially tasked with using its fresh perspective to “completely rethink the Corvette nameplate, pushing the boundaries of design and technology”.
GM senior vice-president of global design Michael Simcoe, who was in the UK for the opening of the Leamington studio, said the British advanced design team’s mandate extends well beyond creating production vehicles. It is “primarily tasked with imagining what mobility could look like five, 10 and even 20 years into the future and with driving innovation for GM”, said Simcoe.
The UK concept is 4.67 metres long but just over one metre tall, highlighting a race car relationship and making it about the same height as the legendary, ultra-low Ford GT40.
The design cleverly incorporates iconic Corvette design heritage in a race car-inspired futuristic shape formed of lightweight composite outer panels. The designers say it focuses on clean forms and muscular shapes and is inspired by fighter jets for both sculptural and functional elements. It uses a strong centre line that both supports the ‘wing doors’ and splits the front and rear windscreens.
