GM Axes Planned Electric Corvette SUV, Report Claims
Possibly due to poor corporate EV results
Moving the engine from up front to behind the seats was a radical departure for the eighth-generation Corvette, which is receiving a new LS6 V8 for 2027. But for a while it looked like even bigger changes were on the horizon. GM was planning to build Corvettes with very different body styles and power sources according to multiple reports over the last couple of years, although the automaker never officially confirmed those rumors. But now it seems those plans are on hold, and possibly scrapped altogether.
The axed cars include an electric Corvette SUV that could have rivaled the Porsche Cayenne and a two-door electric sports car, sources close to the automaker told GM Authority. A third model, a four-door sedan with a fastback and battery-electric power was apparently also in development. All three Corvettes would have used the same corporate BEV Prime platform, GM Authority says.
No solid reason for the change of strategy is given, but the report suggests that the underperformance of GM's electric lineup is to blame. The automaker has been stung by its decision to go all-in on EVs at the expense of hybrids in its wider lineup. Ironically, the Corvette is one of the few GM products that does offer hybrid powertrains.
An SUV still makes sense, but not an electric one
It's easy to see why GM might have considered building a Corvette SUV. The Cayenne transformed Porsche's business when it debuted in 2002, finally giving owners somewhere to go when their family had outgrown the 911 or Boxster. It's currently Porsche's best-selling model. Even McLaren, which resisted calls to make an SUV for so long it made the Ferrari Purosangue look like an early adopter, has finally confirmed it has a competitor in the works. And the Urus accounts for around 60 percent of Lamborghini's output.
But 100% electric power is not a popular approach in this segment. Lotus tried to go down that route with the Eletre, but weak sales led it to introduce a hybrid version. And Porsche's combustion Macan was outselling the EV version right up until Porsche pulled the plug on the gas variant. GM Authority's report only says General Motors has scrapped plans to make an electric Corvette SUV on its new electric platform, and leaves it at that.
However, we'd be surprised if the entire concept of a Corvette SUV was dead. The Trump administration's relaxing of fuel economy standards has opened the door to more big-engined vehicles, and at least some GM executives must be advocating for a V8 Corvette SUV, possibly with hybrid power. A ZR1X with room for the dog? Sounds like a Corvette worth building to us.