2025 Chevrolet Corvette Concept – UK Advanced Design Studio

Первый из трех: представлен концепт нового Chevrolet Corvette. General Motors нестандартно подошла к анонсу следующего поколения своей культовой модели. До ее выхода свет увидят три концепта, разработанные дизайн-студиями в Великобритании и США. Первым дебютировал шоу-кар от британских дизайнеров, и он вдохновлен Corvette C2 середины 60-х годов прошлого века. У него разделенные надвое стекла спереди и сзади и двери-«крылья чайки».

В течение 2025 года свои проекты по мотивам нового Corvette представят еще две студии, из Лос-Анджелеса и Детройта. Логично предположить, что в реальности модель следующего поколения объединит в себе дизайнерские решения всех трех концептов. О грядущем спорткаре поколения C9 известно, что он все же сохранит двигатель внутреннего сгорания и останется среднемоторным, а в его основу ляжет переработанная платформа Y2.

У концепта от британской студии дизайна развитый аэродинамический обвес, узкая L-образная передняя оптика, а в салоне почти прямоугольный руль. Информации о технике нет.

С 2019 года ходили слухи, что General Motors может выделить Corvette в отдельный бренд. Линейка Corvette должна была включать как минимум две электрические модели: четырехдверное купе и кроссовер на платформе Ultium с 800-вольтовой системой и силовой установкой, состоящей из нескольких электромоторов. Однако осенью прошлого года президент General Motors Марк Ройс четко дал понять, что ни о каком отделении Corvette речи не идет.

General Motors has expanded its global design studio footprint with the official opening of a new advanced design studio in Royal Leamington Spa, about 20 miles from Birmingham.

In connection with the opening, GM revealed an advanced design study Chevrolet Corvette concept car developed by the UK team as part of a global design project involving multiple studios that will see additional Corvette concepts revealed throughout 2025.

GM's design teams regularly work on conceptual design studies that are intended to drive ideation, innovation, and collaboration across the company.

With the opening of the UK studio, GM continues to demonstrate its commitment to Europe as the company scales its Cadillac electric vehicle business there, while also preparing to launch Corvette sales across the UK and mainland Europe.

The UK design studio is an integral part of GM's global design footprint, providing valuable insights into European customer and cultural trends and introducing new talent and fresh perspectives into GM's global network. GM's global design footprint also spans studios in Detroit, Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Seoul.

The UK studio is led by Julian Thomson, a deeply experienced automotive designer who has worked with some of the industry's most recognized brands. The 24,584-square-foot Royal Leamington Spa studio, which employs more than 30 designers and creative team members, is outfitted for both digital and physical clay model development.

"Our advanced design team's mandate extends well beyond creating production vehicles," said Michael Simcoe, senior VP of global design. "While they collaborate within our global design network on production and concept vehicle programs, these teams are primarily tasked with imagining what mobility could look like five, 10, and even 20 years into the future and driving innovation for GM."

The Corvette nameplate has long been leveraged to introduce experimental cars, concepts and prototypes that push the boundaries of automotive design and engineering, and the new UK design concept is no exception. While there is no production intention behind this concept, the GM UK Design team undertook this exercise to rethink what a Corvette could be with a true blank-page approach.

"As part of the Corvette creative study, we asked multiple studios to develop hypercar concepts, which we'll see more of later this year," Simcoe said. "It was important that they all pay homage to Corvette's historic DNA, but each studio brought their own unique creative interpretation to the project. That is exactly what our advanced design studio network is intended to do - push the envelope, challenge convention and imagine what could be."

The UK team's concept subtly incorporates Corvette's iconic design heritage into a futuristic aesthetic focused on clean forms and muscular shapes. The design draws inspiration from the aviation industry, both in the sculptural and functional elements.

"One of the most unusual and significant aspects of our concept's design is a feature known as Apex Vision," said Thomson. "A nod to Corvette's centerline focus, and inspired by the iconic 'split window' 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, this feature emphasizes a singular vertical central spine that is also a structural element, also providing a panoramic view of the road and surroundings."

The exterior design includes a distinctive division between the upper and lower halves of the vehicle. The upper half captures the Corvette's classic design elements, but in a futuristic manner. The lower half focuses on functional technical design, including EV battery technology embedded into the structure and aerodynamics elements designed to channel air efficiently without the need for wings or spoilers.