Corvette Stingray Coupe

Make
Chevrolet
Segment
Coupe

The news that the 2020 Corvette Stingray will have a starting price under $60,000 is not just a big deal for consumers. It's also a big deal for the automotive industry and any brand wanting to keep playing in the sports car market. It has come as a shock to a lot of neigh-sayers that expected the mid-engined Corvette to end up in the price bracket above the previous generations. However, the Corvette is still the value proposition when it comes to power and handling. The question is, how did Chevrolet do it without scavenging the parts bins across GM's brands?

Motor Authority spoke with General Motors president Mark Reuss and Corvette Chief Engineer and Vehicle Line Manager Tadge Juechter to try and find out. The first thing Reuss indicated is the use of GM's new Global B electrical platform. Global B is marketed as a "digital vehicle platform" that is planned to feature in most of GM's line up by 2023 and its development was rumored to be part of the delay in getting the C8 Corvette to market. According to GM, the new architecture is capable of handling 4.5 terabytes of data per hour and benefits include better screen resolutions, the capability for over-the-air updates and "functionality upgrades throughout the lifespan of the vehicle," as well as better battery management for hybrids and electric vehicles.

Juechter elaborates that "It's what we do. We engineer performance value and we leverage General Motors' economy of scale wherever we can to try to give you all the content but not pay for a bunch of extras. So, we have the advantage of being part of a very big company."

Reuss adds that costs will also be spread over the expanded future Corvette lineup to keep them down. When we also factor in that the new LT2 engine isn't too far removed from the current LT1 engine in its architecture and that it seems unlikely there's a manual transmission being developed at all, then the sub $60,000 price points starts making sense. How far under $60,000 will it actually be though? According to Motor Authority, Juechter's tongue in cheek answer was: "Well, you know us."

We do, so we're expecting $59,995. Not that we're complaining as it's still just around $5,000 more than the current C7 generation Corvette with a cheaper to develop and build drivetrain.