Mid-engine 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray breaks cover in California

The 2020 Corvette Stingray has been officially unveiled in Tustin, California (USA). Codenamed Chevrolet C8, this is the first-ever Chevrolet Corvette with a mid-engine layout. Corvettes have been known for their traditional front-engine rear-wheel-drive layout. However, the engineers at Chevrolet decided to dump the old architecture as they felt it had reached its limit of performance. The company goes on to claim that the new Stingray looks and feels like a regular Corvette but drives better than any Corvette in history.

Design: Sharper than ever

In terms of design, thanks to the adoption of the mid-engine layout, Chevrolet has been able to revamp its flagship performance car from the ground up. The mid-engine exotic proportions make the 'Vette look sleek and muscular, yet compact and taut. The canopy-forward stance takes inspiration from modern fighter jets like the F22 and F35 among others as well as Formula One racing.

The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray bears an aggressive front fascia with low profile headlamps designed around all-new projectors, a wide radiator grille, large air intakes portraying a no-nonsense story and a small spoiler adds to the personality as well as functionality.

At the rear, the design is familiar yet strikingly new and more aggressive. The tail lamps may remind one of the Chevrolet Camaro, and giving it a closer look, its LED tail lights are reminiscent of the LED DRL of BMW's twin headlights. The two-piece rear spoiler works with the unit in the front to produce as much as 400 pounds of downforce! That will be a boon will carving corners. A minimalistic diffuser and four tailpipes scream sportiness. 12 exterior colour options, three of which will be brand new (Rapid Blue, Zeus Bronze and Accelerate Yellow), will be offered.

Inside, the dashboard has a very driver-centric, wraparound layout. The shorter bonnet should have improved driver visibility. The new steering wheel has been shaped as a square to provide an unobstructed view of the 12-inch configurable cluster display and further ease things for the driver. The hand-wrapped, cut and sew leather components look premium. Customers will have an option to choose from 6 interior colour themes (Jet Black, Sky Cool Gray, Adrenaline Red, Natural/ Natural Dipped, Two-Tone Blue and Morello Red). Besides that, 3 seat options will be available.

Chassis: Technological marvel

The lightweight main structure of the new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray has six high-pressure diecast aluminium parts, also known as the Bedford Six. These minimize the number of joints within the vehicle, making a stiffer chassis that aids in handling and track cornering. Besides that, the all-new Corvette also gets an industry-first carbon-fibre curved rear bumper beam for weight reduction.

The front suspension can be lifted to raise the ground clearance by 40 mm (at the front bumper) in just 2.8 seconds. A Z51 performance package can add further zing to the Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray with larger brake rotors, enhanced cooling, performance suspension and exhaust.

Engine: Corvette enters a new era

Under the glass ceiling of this mid-engine Corvette lies Chevy’s next-generation 6.2L Small Block V-8 LT2 engine. That’s one of the last remaining naturally aspirated V8 engines available in the segment. The 2020 Stingray is the most powerful entry-level Corvette yet. The engine can produce 495 PS of power and 637 Nm of torque. It has been positioned low to aide in lowering the centre of gravity.

The 2020 Corvette Stingray's engine is mated to Chevrolet's first-ever 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. The top speed has not been revealed yet, but we do know that the car can accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h in just under 3 seconds. That’s blistering fast when compared to the top-end ZR1 variant of the outgoing 7th Gen Corvette that could do that in 2.8 seconds.

Pricing and Availability

The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette will be priced under USD 60,000 (INR 41.29 lakh). That’s just a tad above the outgoing mode's price. Production begins in late-2019 and this is for the first time that a Chevrolet Corvette will be available even in right-hand drive.