Meet the 2,000-HP Electric Corvette of the Future

When Chevrolet isn’t busy setting records at the Nürburgring with the Corvette ZR1X, its designers are back in the lab, cooking up concepts that imagine the far-off future of America’s favorite sports car.

In April, GM’s advanced design studio in the UK unveiled this futuristic beauty. In July, designers in Pasadena revealed this stunning concept. Now, Chevy is introducing yet another Corvette concept at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, in California—and it might be the best one yet.

This latest creation is called the Corvette CX Concept. The letter “X” here signifies the number 10—as in “C10.” While Chevy has no plans to bring the CX Concept to production, the company has confirmed it “will serve as inspiration for the Corvette design language going forward.”

The concept features all the signature design hallmarks of a Corvette—a forward-lunging nose, a horizontal “chine” line, and dual taillight elements. But the details here are a far cry from the production C8.

GM designers in Warren, Michigan, collaborated with the automaker’s Motorsports Aero Group in Charlotte, North Carolina, to create the CX Concept’s ultra-streamlined bodywork. With dozens of functional vents and multiple air outlets, this Corvette is incredibly aerodynamic. GM even installed what it calls a Vacuum Fan System with built-in fans to help pull more air through the open-channel bodywork.

Executive Design Director Phil Zak notes:

‘While the shape of a Corvette has always been expressive and forward-looking, each crease and line has its roots in the generations that came before it. It is aspirational, it is cultural, it is the reason people want to come and work at Chevrolet… through this exercise, we’ve added to Corvette and defined the design direction for Corvette moving forward.’

Like the two previous Corvette concepts, the CX is fully electric and powered by four electric motors—one at each wheel. Sorry, no V-8 here. This time, though, the 90.0-kilowatt-hour battery delivers a staggering 2,000 horsepower.

Instead of traditional doors, the CX Concept opens with a forward-tilting, fighter jet-style canopy. Inside, the cabin is finished in Inferno Red with leather, milled aluminum, and carbon fiber accents. A yoke-style steering wheel with a small central display adds to the futuristic feel.

And speaking of displays: the CX Concept skips a traditional center touchscreen entirely. Instead, the windshield itself serves as a massive head-up display, while all controls are integrated into the steering wheel itself.

Corvette CX.R Vision Gran Turismo

If the standard Corvette CX concept isn’t extreme enough for you, Chevy has a second, track-focused version: The CX.R Vision Gran Turismo.

Designed specifically for Gran Turismo 7, the CX.R ramps up the standard CX with more aggressive active aerodynamics, a lower ride height, massive splitters, a sizable rear wing, and, of course, Corvette Racing’s signature black-and-yellow livery.

Even more intriguing than the base CX is what powers the CX.R. Chevy combines three electric motors and a battery pack with a dual-overhead-cam, twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter V-8 that produces 900 horsepower and revs to an astonishing 15,000 rpm. Paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, the total system output is a staggering 2,000 horsepower.

Unfortunately, neither of these cars is headed for production. The closest you’ll get to driving one is in Gran Turismo 7, where both supercars will be available later this month.