GM boss Corvette will never be its own brand.
A few years ago, there were rumors that General Motors was considering using the Corvette nameplate as an independent brand completely separate from Chevrolet.
However, in a recent episode of “Jay Leno's Garage” featuring the new 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, GM President Mark Reuss denied that Corvette would become its own brand.
Leno addressed the issue at the 18:30 mark of the episode, to which Royce replied that Corvette will stay as Chevrolet. This is because it represents what the bowtie brand really is, which is to offer more money than what a buyer might expect and to do it with great design and performance.
The entire video is well worth watching, as Royce provides a wealth of information about not only the new ZR1, but GM in general. You can also learn about the history of Royce's father, Lloyd E. Royce, who also worked for GM in the early 1990s and served as president, including his own C2 generation Corvette, which is also featured in the episode.
Deliveries of the 2025 Corvette series are expected to begin later this year, but the ZR1, which was unveiled in July, will not hit showrooms until next year. Chevrolet has not announced pricing, but the starting price is expected to be in the low $100,000 range. A fully equipped model could hit the $200,000 mark, which would be a first for an American sports car.
Incredibly, the 1,064-horsepower ZR1 is not expected to be the end point for the C8-generation Corvette, at least in terms of performance: the ZR1's twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 and E-Ray front electric motor combine in the new Zora A prototype of what appears to be a flagship has already been spotted. Total output could reach hypercar levels.
