GM President Mark Reuss helps unveil the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette.
The new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette broke cover on Thursday night, and the sports car will be boasting some impressive numbers. The first-ever mid-engine ‘Vette will get a big bump in power, with its 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V-8 rated at 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. That will launch it from 0 to 60 in “under 3 seconds” announced General Motors President Mark Reuss, while the base price of the new two-seater will come in at “less than $60,000.”
We spoke to Reuss about the C8 Corvette after its debut in the Orange County suburbs of Los Angeles.
Q: I’ve talked with various folks involved in the platform and they’ve confirmed you have planned for the future with a variety of different drivetrains, not only big and bigger engines, but to use various forms of electrification. Can you discuss that?
Reuss: Thecompany is committed to a strategy of 0-0-0, zero emissions, zero crashes and zero congestion. All of the technology rolling into this vehicle is meant to support that. This platform can carry a lot of different things into the future for General Motors so, stay tuned.”
This changes everything: for the full story on the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Click Here.)
Q: Will that include a full battery-power version?
Reuss: We’ll see. Stay tuned.
Three of the new Corvettes roll onto the stage during a Thursday night unveiling.
Q: How can you pack so much technology into that car and sell it for just $60,000?
Reuss: “We’ve come a long way, baby. A lot of things you see here that will be used on a portfolio (of other GM products).
(The new Corvette C8 borrows an old name. When did Stingray first get used? Click Here to find out.)
Q: You gave some interesting performance numbers but not the top speed. What is that?
Reuss: We don’t know yet. We were over in Germany last week doing final thermal and capability tests on the (Nurburg)Ring and Autobahn but we haven’t done a top speed test yet.
Q: Your Corvette buyers have been getting older. How much of the strategy behind C8 is meant to shake that up?
Reuss: If you do a great car that’s beautiful, has the performance and is attainable, every generation is going to buy it.
Q: When did it click that, after years of talking about a mid-engine design, you knew you could pull it off?
Why try to hide an engine like this? A glass cover gives a striking view of the new LT2 V-8.
Reuss: We spent some money to make some mules (prototype using the bodies of existing products). One, called Blackjack started out with a Holden SUV. When we drove that car and looked at what it would take, it started the creative process.
Q: This has traditionally been known as America’s sports car…
Reuss: And it still is…
Q: But can this version become a truly global car?
Reuss: Well, we’ll make a right-hand drive (version). We’ll be able to sell it in Europe. There’s a lot of possibilities for this car. Europe and Australia and all the markets that like this sort of car is where you’ll see go first, internationally.
Q: Can you begin to attract buyers for brands like Porsche, who might never have looked at a Corvette in the past?
Reuss: I think they’ll be very interested to see what it is. It’s a very different car than what it was, I really think there’ll be some interest.