2020 Corvette C8: We Get Our First Peek Inside And It Looks Pretty Good

The Chevrolet Corvette is the brand’s flagship and a halo vehicle for General Motors. Unfortunately, the car’s interior hasn’t reflected its status as one of the company’s premier vehicles.

That’s about to change as we’ve bagged the first revealing interior scoops of the 2020 Corvette. Looking far more luxurious than any of its predecessors, the C8 has an all-new cabin with higher quality materials and a significantly improved design.

Drivers sit behind a new two-spoke steering wheel which is wrapped in leather and features chrome accents as well as a new Corvette insignia. The steering wheel has familiar paddle shifters and some cheaper looking (at least on this prototype) control stalks, but there are also an assortment of new controls for everything from the cruise control system to the wheel’s heater.

New Fully Digital Instrument Panel

Behind the steering wheel is an all-new digital instrument cluster which looks like a big improvement over the current cluster which features analog gauges and a digital display. While the display appears to be decently sized, Chevrolet decided to incorporate some old school vehicle warning lights on a plastic support which is located to the right of the cluster.

A Big Tablet-Style Infotainment Screen

The instrument cluster resides next to a new infotainment system which appears larger than the 8-inch display used in the current Corvette. Beneath the screen is a rotary control knob which is partially covered by an upholstered hand rest.

Little is known about the new infotainment system, but the Cadillac XT4 also has an infotainment system with a rotary dial. However, the Corvette’s system is different as it eschews shortcut buttons for the audio, phone and navigation screens. While the Corvette doesn’t have doesn’t have as many shortcut buttons as the XT4, there’s a home button and a dedicated volume control knob which is located between the instrument cluster and the infotainment system.

Look At That Shifter

To the left of the controller are push button controls for the automatic transmission. They look a little Lamborghini-ish and they’re a significant departure from the C7 which uses a traditional shifter.

Both of the aforementioned controls are mounted on an all-new center console which eschews the cheap plastic of its predecessor for upholstered surfaces which looks significantly more upscale. One of the more unique features about the console is that is broken up into two parts. The driver’s side area of the console acts as armrest, while the second part slopes up at an angle to meet the dashboard.

The buttress is lined with controls and at the very top is a small display which appears to show the current temperature setting. Below it are climate controls and buttons for the heated and ventilated seat. The same setup is echoed at the bottom of the buttress, but in reverse order.

Take A Seat

Speaking of the seats, the ones installed in this prototype are wrapped in black leather and feature heavy bolstering with fabric accents. The seats also have red contrast stitching and an exposed carbon fiber frame that supports the headrests.

Since the 2020 Corvette breaks with tradition and adopts a mid-engine setup, the storage space behind the front seats will be replaced by a bulkhead. The seats themselves seem to be separated by a vertical compartment.

The upscale styling even carries over to the door panels as they are covered in the same material as the center console. While the doors are devoid of traditional trim, they house Bose speakers, push-button handles and a metallic insert that surrounds the window switches.

This Is What It’ll Look Like On The Outside

Rendering Copyright Carscoops / Josh Byrnes

The interior won’t be the only new about the 2020 Corvette as model will feature a radically different exterior. Previous spy photos have shown the C8 will have a more aggressive front fascia which a central V-shaped support which is flanked by large intakes that feed air to the car’s cooling system. The model will also have a front splitter and slender headlights.

The sides of the Vette reveal some of the biggest changes as the model has a shorter hood and angular bodywork which directs air into the massive side scoops. The rear end is a bit more evolutionary as the 2020 Corvette has a new spoiler and a center-mounted diffuser. The latter change means the model will now have a more traditional four-tailpipe exhaust system with two sets of pipes located near the outside edges of the car.

Exotic Materials And A Mid-Engine Layout Scream Supercar

Chevrolet has been tight-lipped about specifications, but previous reports have suggested the car will ride on an aluminum space frame and use some carbon fiber and magnesium to reduce weight. Despite these weight saving measures, the C8 is expected to be heavier than its predecessor.

To counteract the weight gain, the model is expected to have an upgraded 6.2-liter V8 engine that produces around 500 hp (372 kW / 507 PS). It could be paired exclusively to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, but a recent patent application suggests a manual might also be in the works.

While the 6.2-liter V8 sounds like a pretty safe bet, the remaining engine lineup is a bit more mysterious. However, rumors have suggested there will be an all-new 5.5-liter V8 which will be offered in naturally aspirated and twin-turbo guise. We’ve also heard some additional mentions of a 5.5-liter V8, but getting multiple sources to confirm it has been a challenge.

Specifications remain unconfirmed, but rumors have suggested the naturally-aspirated 5.5-liter V8 will produce at least 600 hp (447 kW / 608 PS) and have a redline that is just shy of 9,000 rpm. The twin-turbo engine, on the other hand, is rumored to have around 800 hp (596 kW / 811 PS).

We Could Get A 1,000-HP Variant

Of course, there have also been rumors about hybrid model which features the twin-turbo V8 as well an electric motor that powers the front wheels. If the rumors are to be believed, the all-wheel drive supercar could have a combined output of around 1,000 hp (745 kW / 1,013 PS).

Interior Images Copyright Carscoops.com