California Corvette Concept, a futuristic hypercar inspired by California

The Corvette has a new concept design, the second of three studies to be released throughout the year. This one draws inspiration from Southern California ('SoCal'), while still paying homage to the Corvette's history.

The California Corvette Concept isn't intended for production. It was designed from scratch, an exercise in imagination about what future Corvettes could be.

As you can easily see, it's a hypercar, with the iconic Corvette lines and a Californian soul. Beyond Southern California, it also draws inspiration from racing simulators and, of course, the Corvette's history.

Exterior design

Side view © General Motors

The concept car features an active aerodynamic spoiler and air brake, as well as large 21-inch wheels at the front and 22-inch at the rear. The car's proportions are large around the wheels, but the cabin is narrow and tapered.

The lower part of the body features a tunnel structure made of lightweight carbon fiber tubing. The front hood is a single piece and hinged.

This is an electric car, in which the prismatic battery pack takes the shape of a T. This way, it is possible to keep the seat in a low position and optimize airflow around the chassis.

The concept inside Inside the California Corvette Concept © General Motors

The interior is minimalist, focused on the driver (who is the sole occupant), with an augmented reality head-up display displaying essential information. There's also a screen embedded in the steering wheel itself.

Bryan Nesbitt, vice president of global design at General Motors, said in a statement: "Our Advanced Design teams are dedicated to shaping the future, driving innovation, and exploring what's possible. The California Corvette concept is another example of groundbreaking design. We invited several GM design studios to imagine Corvette-inspired hypercars—the first of which was revealed by our UK studio in March. The California team has now delivered a follow-up study that honors the legendary Corvette performance while infusing it with its own distinctive vision."

Brian Smith, design director at GM Advanced Design Pasadena, explained the inspiration behind this California Corvette: "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 this concept was developed through the lens of 'SoCal,' but with a global and futuristic perspective. Duality of purpose is the foundation of this concept's design strategy. The defining feature of the design is the single-piece, hinged front hood, which allows the entire upper structure to be removed, transforming the concept from a sleek, agile sports car into a lightweight, open-top race car."

The concept of the United Kingdom

The concept launched in April © General Motors

The first of these Corvette concepts to be launched was designed by the new advanced design studio in Royal Leamington Spa (UK), and was launched last April.

It was also a first glimpse of a concept that will be launched in 2025, in a joint project with the GMC design team in Detroit.

The British concept is futuristic, with clean shapes and muscular lines. Inspired by aviation and the 'split window' of the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, it features a division between the upper and lower sections of the car. The wheels are 22 inches at the front and 23 inches at the rear.

It's supposed to be an electric car, with a halo roof structure, a race-car-inspired chassis with pushrod suspension, and a dual aerodynamic design that performs differently on the road and track—for example, the dorsal fins are activated, and the spoiler's ventilation creates aerodynamic vectoring to improve cornering performance. Inside, there's a larger screen on the center rail of the windshield.

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