Chevrolet Corvette official order book finally open

General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) has finally thrown open the official order book for the 2022 Chevrolet Corvette today.

At the same time, Australian pricing and specs have been announced for the top-shelf Carbon Edition version of the first global (and first mid-engined) Corvette, at $189,990 plus on-road costs.

That includes GST, luxury car tax (LCT) and premium paint, but not statutory costs like registration and CTP insurance -- nor the dealer delivery fee, which GMSV says is set by its dealers.

Given at least one of those dealers is adding a cool $43,000 to the drive-away price of the entry-level Chevrolet Corvette 2LT Coupe, the Carbon Edition flagship could cost as much $235,000 including on-road costs, depending on the dealer.

To recap, GMSV announced pricing for the four-variant MY22 Corvette coupe and convertible range in March, as follows:

2LT Coupe – $144,990
2LT Convertible – $159,990
3LT Coupe – $160,500
3LT Convertible – $175,500

However, last month’s dealer document listed drive-away prices as follows:

2LT Coupe – $187,990
2LT Convertible – $203,990
3LT Coupe – $204,990
3LT Convertible – $220,490

Therefore, the drive-away price for the range-topping Carbon Edition ($189,990 plus ORCs) is likely to be $232,990.

Exclusive to Australia and New Zealand, and available only in coupe form, just one example of the Carbon Edition has been allocated to each GMSV dealer.

For an extra $29,490 (plus ORCs) over the 3LT Coupe on which it’s based, the Carbon Edition comes with a host of options available in the US.

These include a carbon-fibre roof, carbon-fibre interior package with inserts on the dash and door panels, machine-faced Trident wheels in Spectra Gray, colour-coded brake callipers, engine appearance lighting package with carbon-fibre closeout panels, unique Carbon Edition build plate and an exclusive Carbon Edition customer ‘welcome pack’.

“The long wait is over, the books are open and our dealers are ready to place orders,” said GMSV director Joanne Stogiannis in a press release today.

“Excitement and anticipation have been building since the reveal of the C8 right-hand drive program almost two years ago, even more so when we released recommended retail pricing for 2LT and 3LT models in late March.

“The build-up to this point will be sure to reach a real crescendo with release of the pricing and specification of the Carbon Edition.”

As we’ve reported, the right-hand drive C8 Corvette debuted in Japan this week, following the new American supercar’s Australian debut at The Bend in May, in the hands of Aussie touring car racing legend Craig Lowndes.

“It’s stunning. The weight distribution is really nice, especially now that it’s mid-engined,” said the three-times Supercars champion and seven-times Bathurst winner in today’s GMSV release.

“It was supposed to be a demonstration run at The Bend, but I gave it a workout. The paddle shifts worked extremely smoothly.

“For me to have had the opportunity to showcase it at Tailem Bend was fantastic.”

How much does the 2022 Chevrolet Corvette cost?
2LT Coupe – $144,990
2LT Convertible – $159,990
3LT Coupe – $160,500
3LT Convertible – $175,500
Carbon Edition Coupe – $189,990

*Prices exclude on-road costs