The SUV craze is still going strong and Chevrolet, like many other automakers, could eventually be forced to rethink its lineup in order to stay competitive against the growing number of performance SUVs hitting the road. While Sports cars are by far, the most exciting space for any automaker, they also have the smallest market niche. Even Ferrari couldn't hold off this trend and had to cave with the introduction of its Purosangue.
Because of this ongoing demand for crossovers and SUVs, even iconic names like the Chevy Corvette will be forced to branch out to cater to a wider audience. A more practical, SUV version of the ‘Vette is due to arrive in 2025. With this in mind, we are giving you our exclusive take on what a Chevrolet Corvette C8 SUV could look like, and we see a Urus beater in the making.
SUV Coupe Done The American Way
The Corvette has had many iterations throughout the years. Although until the introduction of the C8, it was always a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car. There were a variety of propositions for a mid-engine model, which was the original idea of what the Corvette should be, but it only came to fruition in 2020. Even aside from Chevy’s production versions of the Corvette, there have been plenty of reimagined versions, among which the Callaway Sledgehammer or the C12, both of which are highly limited.
Looking at these images, it won’t take you long to realize, a Corvette SUV will not be made for serious off-roading. That almost goes without saying since it will be rivaling the likes of the Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne GT, and BMW X6 M. The SUV coupe silhouette is quite similar to what we see on the Urus.
A More Practical C8 Corvette
The overall design can be described as a hybrid between the Lamborghini Urus and Chevrolet Corvette C8 Z06. We see the same ground effects at the front, including the front splitter and grille design, along with the headlights. The proportions are obviously different as everything seems to have been stretched and pulled back towards the windshield.
On the side, the sports car genes have been emphasized strongly compared to other performance SUVs. The exaggerated wheel arches, especially in the front, go well with the clear surface, featuring little to no crests. The black trim around the wheel arches is almost a must for an SUV. In this case, the arches are filled by what looks to be at least 21-inch, lightweight wheels wrapped in low-sidewall, performance rubber. Behind them are massive, driller brake rotors with equally-substantial, red brake calipers.
The fastback roofline is enhanced by a significant rear spoiler, located on the rear deck lid. Then there’s the kamm tail, which incorporates all the C8 Z06’s design elements, including the rear air extractors and slightly-redesigned rear diffuser with quad-exhaust tips. At the rear, the beltline is complemented by a carbon-fiber, ducktail rear spoiler.
Will A Corvette SUV Even Work?
The Corvette SUV is still some years away, so it is hard to say at this time. We can, however, look at what’s happening in other automakers’ kitchens. The Lamborghini Urus quickly became a hot commodity and Ferrari is struggling to keep up with the massive demand for its first SUV – the Purosangue. Then there are propositions like the Porsche Cayenne GT and BMW X6 M, which can almost be called a common sight on the road, depending on your neighborhood that is.
GM has plenty of experience making fast SUVs, but nothing as sporty as the above-mentioned. The American recipe is more of a Muscle SUV, which is a high-powered, stiffer version of a regular SUV. In the case of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche to name a few, the base is already something that’s luxurious as sporty.
Then, there are the hardcore Corvette fanatics, who will surely give the Corvette SUV a lot of flak and deem it sacrilege against the iconic nameplate. If anything, the Corvette SUV might sell better outside the U.S., which includes places like China – the now-largest automotive market on the planet. The good news is, the C8 Corvette, in its current form, is not going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, an EV Corvette is also on the way, so it is safe to say, by 2025, there will be a Corvette for pretty much all tastes.
In case your Corvette desires are unable to be satisfied with either of the propositions that are and will be on the market, there are other alternatives. The Corvette is one of the most replicated and resto-modded cars out there and there’s no shortage of restored, modernized, or reimagined ‘Vettes out there. At this point, anything up to the C8 generation can be treated like a Lego set. We have seen it with an ambitious C8-based, mid-engine C3 built, so the sky is the limit. Since we are getting a Corvette SUV, that apparently, goes for GM too.