The ninth-generation Chevrolet Corvette won’t be a radical departure from today’s mid-engine two-door.
Insiders have told GM Authority the C9 Corvette is expected to make its debut in 2028 as a 2029 model year car, and will use an evolution of today’s Y2 mid-engine rear-wheel drive architecture, meaning it will be available with internal combustion engines.
As such the Corvette coupe and convertible will continue to be built in relatively low numbers at the company’s factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
This means the next-generation Corvette sports car will share little except badging with the rumoured Corvette-branded sedan and crossover.
Both the sedan and crossover will reportedly use a version of the electric-only BEV Prime platform that will also be found underneath upcoming Cadillac models, as well as a premium Buick crossover.
While this won’t be the first time a Corvette has shared its platform — the Cadillac XLR hardtop convertible from the early 2000s used the C6 Corvette architecture — these new models will stretch the Corvette sub-brand into new and uncharted territory.
It’s likely these new Corvette models will be built alongside their Cadillac and Buick siblings at factories outside Bowling Green, the Corvette’s home since 1981.
Cadillac XLR 
The new EV Corvettes won’t be the sub-brand’s first taste of electrification. Earlier this month Chevrolet took the wraps off the E-Ray, a hybrid model with a total of 488kW thanks to a 6.2-litre V8 driving the rear wheels and an electric motor for the front wheels.
We’re not sure how economical the E-Ray will be, but it’s set to be the fastest production Corvette yet with a 0-60mph (0-97km/h) time of 2.5 seconds.
In the not-too-distant future Chevrolet will reportedly add hotter ZR1 and Zora variants to the Corvette range.
Corvette E-Ray
These two cars will round out the existing C8 Corvette lineup, which currently consists of the base Stingray with a 364kW/630Nm 6.2-litre V8, and the Z06 powered by a flat-plane crank 5.5-litre V8 making 500kW and 624Nm.
The current C8 Corvette marked a radical, and long-desired, change for America’s supercar, switching from its classic front-engine rear-wheel drive setup to a mid-engine layout.
While internal combustion engine fans may cheer today’s report about the Corvette, it should be noted GM plans to phase out sales of diesel- and petrol-powered cars by 2035, so the C9 may be the last generation of the venerated sports car to have a V8 option.
