2020 Chevrolet Corvette could be unhackable

The new Chevrolet Corvette C8 is a big deal.

Capable of pumping out about 1000hp or 745kW, the first-ever mid-engine Corvette is gunning for Italian, German and British supercars from Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren.

Parent company General Motors (GM) has announced it will invest more than a billion dollars ($US800m) in the Bowling Green car assembly plant where the new Corvette is expected to be built

The eighth-generation C8 Chevrolet Corvette has been designed from the ground-up to be the most capable and potent sports car ever created by a General Motor's brand.

It could also be one the most cyber secure vehicle to date.

Spotted here in 'base-model' guise, missing some of the aero bodywork such as the wild chin spoiler in previous spy photos from New York, the new C8 Corvette will feature military-grade digital armour.

In conversation with website Muscle Cars and Trucks former GM Holden boss and now GM President Mark Reuss said that his company will "do everything we can to protect our customers from a cybersecurity standpoint” when it comes to the highly connected, mid-engine 'Vette.

Making use of GM's latest 'Global B' electrical system, which has scope to integrate electric motors and advanced autonomous driving functionality, Reuss explained that the ECU (engine control unit) will be a tough nut to crack.

In other words, aftermarket tuners may struggle to unlock further power gains.

"I don’t wanna cut anybody out from an aftermarket standpoint, but we have to pick and choose who are the good guys," Reuss told the website, implying that reputable tuners will be given the keys to castle, so to speak.

So how much power will the new Corvette generate? Until the camouflage is peeled off the car at its world premiere on July 18, we won't know.

There's talk of up to 1000hp (745kW) being possible from the hybrid version which is due to arrive later in the vehicle's lifecycle.

Expect a V8 to form the core of the new powerplant, potentially similar to the most spicy powerplant in the previous generation Corvette, the ZL1.

That engine was a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 with around 560kW and 970Nm, which would be enough twist to bloody the noses of the current mid-engine champions such as the Ferrari F8 Tributo and McLaren 720S.

According to US mag Car and Driver, all that power will be channeled through a seven-speed Tremec dual-clutch transmission (TR-9007), with no manual transmission offered.

Perhaps the biggest question for Australian fans eager to get into an all-American mid-engine exotic sports car is whether the Corvette will be built in right-hand drive. If not, it's still a chance for local introduction via factory conversions like HSV does with the Camaro.

Holden has previously stated that it will deliver a plethora of new models by 2020, including a rear-drive V8 sportscar, and the new Corvette is widely considered to be one of the 24 new vehicles on the list.

If it is green-lit for Australia, the new 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette is unlikely to cost the same as its supercar rivals such as the $420,000 Honda NSX and Lamborghini Huracan.

It could end up in HSV and Holden showrooms priced from around $200,000 for the entry-level model seen in these photos.