The new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette Stingray unveiled on Thursday will be the first truly global version of the American performance icon in a history spanning more than six decades.
Chevrolet has confirmed that the car, the nameplate's eighth generation, will built in both left- and right-hand-drive configurations and sold in new markets. It will be the first time a right-hand-drive Corvette has been built at the factory, and it should mean greater appeal for the car in right-hand-drive markets.
Australia is the first right-hand-drive market confirmed to receive the new Corvette, with the car to be sold by local General Motors subsidiary Holden, but with its Chevrolet badge in tow. The computer-generated image above shows what the new Corvette's interior will be like in right-hand-drive configuration.
2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
“The news that Corvette will now be built in right-hand-drive for the first time ever, and will be exported to Australia, is hugely exciting for our team at Holden and any Australian who loves high-performance cars,” Holden chief Dave Buttner said in a statement.
Other major right-hand-drive markets include the United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland and India, though confirmation of the new Corvette in any of these markets is yet to be made. India is also unlikely to receive the car, since GM ended sales there in 2017.
Chevy's decision to exclusively fit a dual-clutch transmission likely helped reduce the cost of engineering the new Corvette for both left- and right-hand-drive configurations, since the transmission doesn't require the movement of major hardware for the different configurations, like a manual transmission's clutch pedal would. Also likely helping is the use of GM's new digital vehicle platform, which Chevy said meant the new Corvette required a lot less wiring for its various digital systems compared to previous technology.
