Lucas Bell 
When Chevrolet first pulled the cover off of the C8 Corvette last year, it was clear that this car was unlike any Corvette before it. Not only did the car arrive on a mid-engined platform, but GM made it known early on that this would be an international product. In fact, the C8 is the first RHD vehicle to come out of GM’s Bowling Green facility. And while GM has already released pricing information for foreign markets in Europe and the Middle East, our V8 loving brethren in Australia have been patiently waiting their turn. Thanks to a new press release from GMSV, the wait is officially over.
General Motors Special Vehicles has taken the place of HSV in Australia following the demise of Holden, and will be responsible for importing some of GM’s hottest offerings. Before Holden went away, the company had already confirmed that the C8 Corvette would arrive on the continent with an MSRP of $129,990 AUD. That hasn’t stayed the case now that GMSV is in charge however. Due to a huge amount of customer demand, the company has opted to raise the Australian market MSRP to $149,990 AUD. That is about the equivalent of $113,000 here in the States based on current conversion rates. Quite a bit more than what the car costs here, but still a relative bargain for the level of performance on tap.
That said, this is a significantly higher price than what General Motors is charging for the C8 Corvette in the Middle East or Europe. The mid-engined sports car carries an MSRP of just $86,500 when equipped with the Z51 Performance Pack in Saudi Arabia, which isn’t too far ahead of the U.S. pricing. In Europe, the C8 starts at around $100,00 USD, which splits the difference between the other two.
The hype surrounding the C8 Corvette isn’t the only reason that it will carry a premium in Australia however. The team over at Wheels has reported that GM only intends to import 200 or less examples per model year. That means that buyers are already going to have to fight for a build slot, and the higher price point helps to quell some of the chaos. Not exactly the most consumer friendly choice, but it’s the one GM has settled on.
If you happen to be in Australia and were hoping to snag a C8 for something close to the original Holden price, this probably isn’t great news. This is especially true when you consider that this move likely pushes the MSRP of the upcoming Z06 model into the $200,000 range. Not a lot for a mid-engined sports car, but certainly more than what people are used to paying for corvettes. That said, this new generation isn’t quite like any of the cars that preceded it.
