General Motors Holden has announced the next generation mid-engine Corvette will be built in right-hand-drive (RHD) and will roar Down Under for sale in New Zealand.
“Like anyone with a hint of petrol in their veins, we were glued to our screens watching the reveal of the new Corvette,” said Marc Ebolo, Managing Director of Holden New Zealand.
“The news that Corvette will now be built in right-hand-drive for the first time ever – and will be exported to New Zealand – is hugely exciting for our team at Holden and any Kiwi who loves high performance cars.
“With our long history in motor-racing, performance vehicles are an indelible part of the Holden brand. Our team is totally revved up to build on Holden’s performance legacy with the most technologically advanced Corvette ever built.
“We look forward to taking on the European and Japanese performance vehicles with some highly sophisticated American muscle.”
The new Corvette is the first-ever production version in mid-engine configuration. It is also the fastest, most powerful entry-level Corvette, offering new standards of performance, technology and craftsmanship.
Still unmistakably Corvette, the exterior has a bold, futuristic expression with mid-engine exotic proportions. It is lean and muscular, with an athletic sculptural shape conveying a sense of motion and power from every angle.
The next generation Corvette’s canopy-forward stance was inspired by F22s, F35s and other modern fighter jets and Formula One racing.
Corvette’s structure is built around its backbone: the centre tunnel. This enables a light, stiff structure allowing the suspension system to perform in an optimised manner.
The new Corvette is powered by a next generation 6.2 litre small block V8 engine - the only naturally-aspirated engine in the segement - with 495 horsepower (369kW) and 470lb-ft (637Nm) of torque when equippedwith a perfromance exhaust.
The thumping LT2 is paired with Chevrolet’s first eight speed dual-clutch transmission, which provides lightning-fast shifts and excellent power transfer. This transmission is uniquely to provide the spirited, direct connected feeling of a manual and the premium driving comfort of an automatic.
Next generation Corvette production begins at GM’s Bowling Green facility in late 2019. Holden will share further details about Corvette in New Zealand at a later date.
