New details about Chevrolet’s controversial Corvette SUV EV are coming at a steady pace. There are a number of proposals being studied, tweaked, and presented to management to capture the spirit of a Corvette in an SUV. Speculative illustrations typically bonk Corvette C8 cue onto an SUV-like form. We’ve chosen some recently unveiled General Motors Design sketches that hold hints at what is flying around designers’ heads. 

The first surprise is that the Corvette SUV will not be based on GM’s highly-touted Ultium electric platform. Instead, it will get its own unique EV platform. And it should have its own if GM wants to elevate the Corvette brand. After all, it needs to be able to compete with the likes of Ferrari’s Purosang and Lambo’s Urus. 

What will the Corvette SUV platform be like?

Both of these SUVs have shown GM there is a way forward to combine an SUV with an inspirational legendary sports car brand. Even Ford has done a good job blending its Mustang into an acceptable SUV EV with the Mustang Mach-E. 

This new platform will be a three-motor all-wheel drive setup, with one motor in front and two in the rear. It should be able to beat the Z06 V8s 670 hp as the GMC Hummer features 830 hp. Though the Corvette SUV will likely be less aerodynamic and weigh more, it could very well match or even beat the Z06 zero-to-60 time of 2.6 seconds. Of course, meeting or exceeding these Z06 numbers will help establish its place as a performance vehicle. 

When is the Corvette SUV likely to debut?

Things like range, technology, driver-assist, and safety features will be state-of-the-art. That includes GM’s Ultra Cruise autonomous driving system UltraVision, and High Definition Surround Vision. So expect a healthy dose of radar, cameras, and LiDAR to support it. 

Initially, it was expected that GM would debut the Corvette SUV sometime in 2025. The problem with that is GM’s having problems ramping up EV production. Especially the GMC Hummer, which has seen unusually slow production rates even though it has been in production for 18 months. So now it looks like the soonest we’ll be seeing a Corvette SUV will be in 2027. And an announcement about Corvette becoming a brand would likely come in 2025 or 2026. 

Does GM really need to make Corvette another brand?

Were the SUV to be available right now, it would compete with the Mercedes-AMG EQE, Audi RS Q6 e-tron, Polestar 3, Porsche Cayenne EV, Lotus Eletre, and Tesla Model X. And more premium models will be on the market by then from manufacturers like Aston Martin, BMW, Bentley, and more. And by 2027, Chevrolet will already be a couple of years into Corvette E Ray production to further soften the idea of an electric SUV appearing in the fold. 

From a strictly business perspective, a stand-alone Corvette brand structured like Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, and BrightDrop, would create huge value from the start. According to CNBC, Morgan Stanley estimates it would instantly be worth between $7 billion and $12 billion. So GM’s only hurdle is convincing Corvette enthusiasts that their favorite model becoming a stand-alone brand offers intrinsic value to the sports car’s 70-year legacy.