2022 Chevrolet Corvette orders open, Carbon Edition priced

The ‘Vette is almost here, and the range will be topped with a special edition exclusive to Australia and New Zealand.

The 2022 Chevrolet Corvette Carbon Edition will be the priciest member of the mid-engined C8 range, priced at $189,990 before on-roads.

Orders are open for the entire range, though GMSV has yet to publish photos of the Carbon Edition.

The Corvette touches down in Australia in the third quarter of 2021.

Unlike the 2LT and 3LT, which also offer a convertible variant, the Carbon Edition will be exclusively available as a coupe.

GMSV dealers nationwide will each get only one Carbon Edition.

Over the 3LT, it’ll add:

• Carbon fibre interior package with carbon fibre inserts on the dash and door panels
• Trident wheels with machined face in spectra gray
• Colour-coded brake callipers
• Carbon fibre roof
• Engine appearance lighting package with carbon fibre closeout panels
• Unique Carbon Edition build plate

GMSV says it’ll also give each Carbon Edition buyer an exclusive customer welcome pack.

The right-hand drive C8 Corvette – the first generation to offer factory right-hand drive – made its debut at the Fuji Speedway in Japan this week.

The all-American sports car racked up 300 sales in just three days when order books first opened in Japan.

When it arrives, the C8 Corvette will be priced from $144,990 before on-roads for the 2LT specification.

Power comes from a naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 engine tucked behind the cabin with 364kW of power and 630Nm of torque

It’s sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The 0-100km/h sprint takes 2.9 seconds, just 0.2 seconds behind the $473,900 Porsche 911 Turbo S.

Standard equipment in Australia will include the Z51 Performance Pack, along with a head-up display and a 14-speaker Bose sound system.

The Z51 Performance Pack brings a dual-mode exhaust, adaptive Magnetic Ride Control suspension, larger Brembo brakes, an electronic limited-slip differential, a front splitter and rear spoiler, and more cooling for the engine.

With each generation of Corvette, Chevrolet typically rolls out a cavalcade of more powerful Corvette variants.

Z06 is one of the most celebrated names in Corvette lore, and overseas reports indicate the C8 Z06 will pack a double overhead-cam 5.5-litre V8.

It’s said to feature a flat-plane crankshaft according to a report from GM Authority, while a twin-turbocharged version could make its way into the next Corvette ZR1.

There have also been rumours of a new electrified, all-wheel drive, twin-turbo V8 flagship called the Zora after the late GM engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, the “father of the Corvette”.

The standard 6.2-litre V8 is also expected to gain a hybrid system to become the Corvette E-Ray.

Pricing

• 2022 Chevrolet Corvette 2LT: $144,990
• 2022 Chevrolet Corvette 2LT Convertible: $159,990
• 2022 Chevrolet Corvette 3LT: $160,500
• 2022 Chevrolet Corvette 3LT Convertible: $175,500
• 2022 Chevrolet Corvette Carbon Edition: $189,990

All prices exclude on-road costs.