The mid-engine C8 Corvette will not snap necks at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, but a new report claims the sports car will debut in all its glory next summer.
The summer 2019 reveal comes from a GM Authority report on Thursday. Sources told the publication the mid-engine Corvette will skip the auto show circuit and instead debut at a standalone event. It's not out of the ordinary because Chevrolet held a massive launch event for the 2016 Camaro lineup, too.
We could see the car as early as this May, according to the publication's source, but a more exact date isn't known.
2020 Chevrolet Corvette (C8) spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
When the car does debut, former General Motors executive Bob Lutz believes it will come with a price just a bit above the current C7-generation car. In his Dear Bob column in the latest issue of Road & Track, Lutz said the goal will be to "sell the C8, version for version, at a little more than the C7." He previously said in a discussion with Autoline he believed the C8-generation Corvette would start at around $5,000 more than the current car.
2020 Chevrolet Corvette (C8) spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
He added Chevrolet is "keenly aware" of the targeted price point and knows the Corvette's reputation for pulling off supercar performance for far less money. "It will be the best value on the planet," Lutz also said.
The C8 Corvette will likely debut with a more powerful version of the 6.2-liter LT1 V-8 the current Corvette Stingray uses. Eventually, DOHC V-8 engines are rumored to arrive, and one could pack twin turbochargers and up to 800 horsepower. Further down the line, we could see an all-wheel-drive C8 Corvette with a hybrid powertrain that will make close to 1,000 horsepower.
