The next-gen Chevrolet Corvette C9 may be faster and more capable than the current car, but Chevrolet has no intention of turning it into a Lamborghini or Ferrari rival.
Corvette chief engineer Tony Roma says the C9 must remain true to what has always made the Corvette appealing: strong performance and value. “It needs to be a Corvette at its core,” Roma explained, adding that the new model should offer customers more performance without abandoning its value proposition.
The move to a mid-engine layout with the C8 has already pushed the Corvette into supercar territory, but Roma doesn’t believe that means Chevrolet needs to chase European exotics head-on.
“Even though we’re a mid-engine car now, there’s a lot of people that think that means we need to go chase Lamborghini and Ferrari tit-for-tat,” Roma said. “That’s not the core of what a Corvette is.”
Instead, his approach is simple: make the next Corvette better, newer and faster.
A manual gearbox could also be considered. Roma admits there is customer demand for one and says he would personally love it, but questions whether Chevrolet can make a manual transmission financially and technically viable.
Source: The Drive
