Zac Quinn 
If you didn’t know, Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter recently appeared at Jay Leno’s Garage alongside the all-new 2024 C8 Corvette E-Ray. While the episode itself is worth getting excited about and watching, you may have missed one fascinating detail revealed by Juechter at the start of the video, which pertains to the fantastic success of the C8 Corvette. Already, we’ve seen it take the world by storm as a significantly “more affordable Ferrari” thanks to the tremendous good looks and mid-engined design. But what indeed shows how successful this formula is is the fact that after just four years, predictions show that the C8 will outsell the C7 generation Corvette.
C7 Vs. C8 Corvette Production Count
Let’s break it down. The C7 Corvette began production in 2013 for the 2014 model year. It was in the 2019 model year that production came to a close with a whopping 190,000 units sold for what would be the final iteration of the Corvette with the engine located at the front of the vehicle. In 2020, production for the C8 Corvette began, and when it was unveiled, it took the world by storm due to its amazingly great looks and, of course, engine location. Not to mention, it was benchmarked against the likes of the Ferrari and Porsche while featuring a price tag below $100k. Traffic around Chevy dealerships crawled to a standstill when these cars arrived for Corvette fans and future customers to take a gander.
Production for the 2023 model year finished not too long ago, and the fourth year of production for the C8 Corvette commenced. At the end of 2023, a total of 120,000 units have sold, and based on that information, it’s safe to assume that by the time production for the 2024 model year ends, it will surpass the 190k mark for the C7, in just four model years to the C7’s six. And one of those model years barely count, as the world screeched to a halt in 2020. However, the C7 isn’t exactly the sales champ of Corvette generations. It’s top of the bottom, ahead of the C2 and C1 Corvettes, which are still the rarest and most collectable of the generations.
Could The C8 Take The All-Time Corvette Sales Record?
The C8 stands a strong chance of outselling the C6 Corvette, which tallied 215,223 units. The C5? 248,715 units, which is also within range. Ahead of that would be the C4 Corvette, which sold over 358,000 units, spanning 13 years from 1983 to 1996. But the all-time champ remains the C3 Corvette, at over 540,000 units produced in 14 years, between 1968 to 1982.
The C8 generation is expected to last until the end of the decade, meaning that it could stand a shot at cracking the top 2 Corvette sales leaderboard. But that C3 record may never fall.
There are still at least two more trims in development for the C8 Corvette, which are set to be even more outstanding than the last. Starting with the C8 Corvette ZR1, which has been spotted testing on the legendary Nürburgring, along with on the streets in the U.S., it will be the most powerful ICE-only Corvette yet. Following that, making use of the same LT7 engine as the ZR1, but with electrification, the Corvette Zora will fall in line as a hypercar, but with a more affordable price tag thanks to the ability to be mass produced. What a time to be a Corvette enthusiast.
