Everything We Know So Far

As sacrilegious as it may seem, rumors of an SUV-styled Corvette variant have been circulating for years, with many scoffing at the idea that GM’s most beloved nameplate will gain a few inches of ride height and a couple of extra doors. Yet unfortunately for naysayers, the 2025 Corvette SUV will soon inject high-octane excitement into middle school drop-off lanes and sports practice parking lots. While industry insiders expected an official announcement by 2024’s end, there are sadly still more rumors than concrete facts as the final weeks of 2024 are set to come and go.

However, it seems the ‘Vette SUV is shaping up to be something even hardcore Corvette enthusiasts can get behind. GM may not speculate on future models, but luckily, we don’t have to explain ourselves to GM’s CEO, Mary Barra. Thankfully, an assist from our sister site HotCars has allowed prospective purchases to get an idea of what a Corvette SUV would look like thanks to the below renders.

Why Is Chevy Turning The Corvette Into An SUV?

At the end of the day, Chevrolet is a business with shareholders and board members to satisfy, which is why nothing short of financial gain is the main motivating factor in a Corvette SUV’s production. As Ford has proven with the Mustang Mach-E, taking an iconic nameplate and expanding it into a greater sub-brand is profitable. As well as the C8 has been doing since its debut in 2020, it simply can’t compete with a high-volume SUV or crossover, and you need not look any further than Porsche and Lamborghini for proof. In 2022, Lamborghini sold 5,367 Lamborghini Urus compared to just 3,866 Huracans and Aventadors combined. At Porsche, the numbers are even better, with the company selling 44,882 Cayennes and Macans last year compared to just 25,183 of all the other vehicles in its range combined.

Yes, the profit margins will be better on a Revuelto and a 911 GT3 RS, but the sheer volume of sales makes including SUVs in the lineup a no-brainer. This rings especially true when considering the market shift in recent decades from sedans towards SUVs and crossovers. Chevy wants a slice of that super SUV pie and, perhaps further down the line, may even offer us a Corvette sedan while it’s at it (although the aforementioned trending shift in consumer preference may nip this in the bud). GM understands that the Corvette name has more prestige than any other name it can come up with, which gives it the best chance of attracting customers. If it performs as well as a Cayenne or Urus, Boomers will purchase one without hesitation, longing for the power and feel of the real deal without the joint pain that comes from crouching in and out of the floor-crawling cabin.

Yet even with financial gain undoubtedly being the brand’s main motivation, there may be other factors in play, most notably Chevrolet’s allegedly now-former intent to launch the Corvette name as a standalone brand with a performance EV focus in the imminently arriving new calendar year. While recent comments have cast doubt on this future, the fact that meaningful rumors of the Corvette SUV were first birthed from this apparent intent suggests smoke and mirrors strategies are at play for the Chevrolet brand. On the other hand, these recent comments may also lead to the death of the Corvette SUV considering the original intentions at its inception.

Initially, planned launch vehicles for the hypothetical sub-brand included a four-door “coupe” and a sporty high-performance crossover (almost certainly the Corvette SUV in question) to pair with the two-seater Corvette EV. Such diverse options are necessary to ensure Corvette can be to Chevrolet what Lexus is to Toyota, certainly an apt comparison when considering the Lexus LFA’s infamous half-a-million dollar deficit per unit sold. While hindsight is 20/20 and such an approach may likewise not be advisable for Chevrolet’s upcoming endeavors, it represents in essence the level of sacrifice Chevrolet needs to accept in order to ensure the now-hypothetical Corvette sub-brand’s successful launch and long-term future alike.

The Corvette SUV Powertrain Options Will Excite Enthusiasts

Initial rumors suggested the SUV would be electrified, but inside sources have thankfully disputed this by claiming it will debut with a V8. Former GM chairman Bob Lutz will certainly approve, quoted as saying “[a Corvette SUV must have a] gorgeous interior. No V6 powertrain. No low-end version. It has to be the stellar premium sport-utility made in the United States, and the Corvette brand could pull that off.”

We couldn’t agree more, and being able to breathe some fire out of quad tailpipes would undoubtedly help it achieve that goal. The information doesn’t go any deeper than this, leaving us to speculate which engines could be used. The first choice would be the 6.2-liter supercharged LT4 V8 used in the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing and Escalade-V. Producing 682 hp and 653 lb-ft of torque, it would be on par with the Urus S’s 657 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque and barely edged out by the Aston Martin DBX 707’s 697 hp and 663 lb-ft of twist.

We would like to see the Z06’s 5.5-liter naturally aspirated flat-plane crank LT6 V8 make the cut somehow. Yes, it “only” produces 670 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque, but it revs to a lovely 8,400 rpm and benefits from that instant NA power. It would be a unique option on a lesser trim and make it stand out in the segment, which could help propel sales even more. While it’s set to debut with strictly combustion power, we expect some form of electrification will eventually follow. We imagine the SUV may soon feature a hybrid system like the one in the new Corvette E-Ray. The E-Ray features an NA 6.2-liter LT2 and a single permanent magnetic drive motor to produce a combined 655 horsepower fed through an intelligent eAWD system. This would be perfect for the SUV, given we expect it to be AWD only, and would bridge the gap between the combustion and the eventual fully electric Corvette EV SUV.

However, there are two major caveats to the above, the first obviously being that this is all still speculative despite the aforementioned inside sources. The second is the recent trend of sporty compact SUVs to utilize high-PSI twin-turbo V6 setups rather than rely on a base V8 block’s power, with the Corvette SUV’s final size likely being the deciding factor in what goes under the bonnet. That being said, a turbo- or supercharged eight-cylinder setup makes the most sense, as it would allow the beast of a vehicle to chase more titillating prey like the Urus, the BMW XM Label Red, and other similarly specced frontrunners. Thankfully, whether compact or full-size, the Corvette SUV should have plenty of proportional power to boogie on with.

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Old Bones, New Home

Rumors are saying the new Corvette SUV will sit on the Alpha II platform that underpins the Chevy Camaro, Cadillac CT4, and Cadillac CT5. This information has reportedly come from GM insiders, but it is hard to believe, as these models are being discontinued due to GM phasing out the Alpha II platform in 2025. GM may be saying this to get the media off the Corvette SUV’s scent, but it would also be surprising to see the company base a new SUV on a platform that can trace its roots back to 2012. If these rumors are to be believed, the Chevy Corvette SUV may be produced at GM’s Lansing Grand River Assembly in Michigan.

This is currently where all the Alpha platform vehicles are produced. Still, GM has just announced a $1.25 billion investment into the factory for future EV models under the new UAW deal. Given that the plant already has the tooling for the platform, it could make sense, and GM may be covering it up using future EV development. Another possibility is it could be built right alongside its current Corvette brethren in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The plant isn’t geared to creating a vehicle of this kind, but Chevy recently announced it is closing factory tours from 2024 onwards. This could mean the company wants to keep prying eyes away from the upcoming Corvette ZR1, but it could also mean it’s retooling the factory to handle the new Corvette SUV platform.

It’s Coming For The Super-SUV Segment

With V8 power and the athletic Alpha platform, it will be a force to be reckoned with. Still, it’ll get even better with AWD, an eight-speed automatic transmission, multiple terrain modes, and the brand’s sublime magnetic dampers. It’s coming straight for the throats of competitors like Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin, and given how well the regular Corvette performs, we’d be scared if we were them. Mainly because you know that whatever the Corvette SUV turns out to be, it will surely undercut competitors by tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The current Corvette Stingray Coupe has an MSRP of $68,300 for 2024 and features a 6.2-liter LT2 V8 pushing out 490 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque.

This is good for a 2.9-second 0-60 sprint and a quarter-mile sprint of 11.2 seconds on the way to a 194 mph top speed. Performance at this price is practically unheard of, making supercar performance attainable. Chevy is sure to aim for a similar benchmark for the SUV. We believe the SUV will come with similar trims – 1LT, 2LT, and 3LT – but at a starting price closer to $100,000 when it finally arrives sometime around 2025. The release date is likely a moving target, mainly since no pictures of vehicles testing more concrete design/patent info have been found. When it does finally arrive, we expect it to shake up the market the same way the C8 did, and we’re sure a few Corvette-purist tears will be shed in the process.