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GM (NYSE: GM) has revealed the second in a series of three Chevrolet Corvette concept design studies debuting in 2025 (Read AutoInformed.com on: Concepts of What Could be a C9 Corvette Concept?) The so called California Corvette concept was developed by GM’s Advanced Design studios in Pasadena.
“Our Advanced Design teams are dedicated to shaping the future, driving innovation, and exploring what’s possible,” said Bryan Nesbitt, vice president of global design. “The California Corvette concept is another example of forward-thinking design. We invited multiple GM studios to envision Corvette-inspired hypercars, the first of which was revealed by our UK studio in March. The California team has now delivered a complementary study that honors Corvette’s legendary performance, while infusing it with their own distinctive vision.”
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“Southern California has been at the heart of automotive and design culture for a century, and GM has had a deep design presence here for nearly 40 years. We wanted to ensure that this concept was developed through that SoCal lens, but with a global and futuristic outlook. Duality of purpose is the basis of this concept’s design strategy,” said Brian Smith, design director, GM Advanced Design Pasadena. “The defining design aspect is the single-piece, front-hinged canopy than enables the entire upper shell to be removed, transforming the concept from an agile, slick sports car to a lightweight, open-air track car.”
The California Corvette concept is a hypercar that is wide at the wheels with a narrow, tapered cabin and a narrow cockpit – mimicking classic Corvette Coke bottle like proportions. The single-piece front-hinged canopy allegedly changes the vehicle from a sports car to a lightweight, open-air track car.
The “minimalist interior centers on the driver with performance-focused displays. An augmented-reality HUD enhances high-speed driving with only the most essential data displayed.” As such, the interior makes no attempt to please a passenger. Moreover in AutoInformed’s view the production odds are long, even given GM’s formidable manufacturing skills and heritage,
Body structure
- Tunneled underbody with lightweight carbon tub.
- Active aero spoiler and air brake.
- Large, staggered wheels: 21-inch front wheels and 22-inch rear.
- Assumed T-shape prismatic battery pack – enabling low seating claimed to allow better airflow around and through the chassis.
Dimensions
- Width:41.4 inches (1051mm) / 86 inches (2184 mm).
- Length:182.5 inches (4669mm).
- Wheelbase:109 inches (2767mm).
The GM studios in Pasadena encompass a 148,000-square-foot campus spread across three buildings and housing about 130 staff, spanning design, creative, facilities, operations, sculpting, fabrication and artisans. It’s fully equipped for advanced design, development, physical modeling and builds, and it plays a key role in GM’s global design network, which spans studios in Detroit, Shanghai, Seoul, the UK and Los Angeles.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Another Corvette C9 Concept from SoCal
Click for more.
GM (NYSE: GM) has revealed the second in a series of three Chevrolet Corvette concept design studies debuting in 2025 (Read AutoInformed.com on: Concepts of What Could be a C9 Corvette Concept?) The so called California Corvette concept was developed by GM’s Advanced Design studios in Pasadena.
“Our Advanced Design teams are dedicated to shaping the future, driving innovation, and exploring what’s possible,” said Bryan Nesbitt, vice president of global design. “The California Corvette concept is another example of forward-thinking design. We invited multiple GM studios to envision Corvette-inspired hypercars, the first of which was revealed by our UK studio in March. The California team has now delivered a complementary study that honors Corvette’s legendary performance, while infusing it with their own distinctive vision.”
Click for more.
“Southern California has been at the heart of automotive and design culture for a century, and GM has had a deep design presence here for nearly 40 years. We wanted to ensure that this concept was developed through that SoCal lens, but with a global and futuristic outlook. Duality of purpose is the basis of this concept’s design strategy,” said Brian Smith, design director, GM Advanced Design Pasadena. “The defining design aspect is the single-piece, front-hinged canopy than enables the entire upper shell to be removed, transforming the concept from an agile, slick sports car to a lightweight, open-air track car.”
The California Corvette concept is a hypercar that is wide at the wheels with a narrow, tapered cabin and a narrow cockpit – mimicking classic Corvette Coke bottle like proportions. The single-piece front-hinged canopy allegedly changes the vehicle from a sports car to a lightweight, open-air track car.
The “minimalist interior centers on the driver with performance-focused displays. An augmented-reality HUD enhances high-speed driving with only the most essential data displayed.” As such, the interior makes no attempt to please a passenger. Moreover in AutoInformed’s view the production odds are long, even given GM’s formidable manufacturing skills and heritage,
Body structure
Dimensions
The GM studios in Pasadena encompass a 148,000-square-foot campus spread across three buildings and housing about 130 staff, spanning design, creative, facilities, operations, sculpting, fabrication and artisans. It’s fully equipped for advanced design, development, physical modeling and builds, and it plays a key role in GM’s global design network, which spans studios in Detroit, Shanghai, Seoul, the UK and Los Angeles.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.