Manoli Katakis 
Sell-side automotive analysts (well, at least one) surmise that a Corvette brand could be a $12 billion idea. Turns out that General Motors might be actually listening, as high level reports indicate that the Detroit automaker is mulling an expansion of the Corvette name, with the addition of a an all-electric Corvette SUV.
Per Bloomberg, GM is considering at least “one new electric vehicle inspired by its Corvette sports car, potentially expanding the brand from a single performance model into a family of vehicles.” The report goes on to say that the first expansion vehicle will indeed be a Corvette SUV, which could arrive as soon as 2025, but likely a bit afterwards.
Like the mid-engine design, GM has flirted with the idea of a Corvette brand before, but never gave it the green light for fear of blowback. But since the debut and the reception of the all-electric Mustang Mach-E, it would appear that decision makers within the company have begun to warm up to the idea. Porsche also saw wild success from expanding its brand from the 911 and Boxster sports cars to the Cayenne SUV, followed by the Panamera sedan, and the smaller Macan SUV. Other brands, such as Ferrari, are also planning entries into this fray, while Aston Martin and Lamborghini are already there, waiting.
Bloomberg reports that GM designers are currently working on several “Corvette brand concept vehicles” that aim to attract a wider audience. The electric component shouldn’t be much of a surprise for a proposed Corvette SUV, considering GM’s current rhetoric of “An All Electric Future™.”
Several Corvette engineers have already moved from the C8 program and onto future electric vehicle programs.
This news shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as earlier reports of a Corvette brand can be seen back in summer of 2019, shortly after the official debut of the mid-engined C8 in July of that year. Going for an electric Corvette SUV instead of another sports car or a sedan makes the most business sense moving forward, lest there be a Corvette pickup truck. We suppose that’s what the new Hummer EV is for.
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Please don’t follow Ford’s lead and do something truly stupid to your flagship car. NOthing against the Mach-E, but it doesn’t need to be a Mustang branded car. I would have called it the E-bird, since the T-bird is dead and unlikely to return.
The Corvette doesn’t need an expanded ‘brand’… it is a world-class sports car at a fraction of the price of its competitors. Don’t dilute it…
What if selling an electric SUV was the only way the high octane sports car could stick around?
Try purchasing a new C8. You will be lucky if you get a 2022.