Next Corvette to be mid-engined

Chevrolet's next-generation Corvette, due in 2018, will be available with both a mid-mounted V8 and an electrified powertrain, according to Car & Driver.

Rumours of a mid-engined GM supercar have circulated for years, since before GM Holden was spotted testing a mid-engined development mule based on a Commodore ute at its Lang Lang proving ground.

Now, says C&D, Chevy will debut its new C8 Corvette – codenamed ZERV – in full production form at the 2018 Detroit motor show with a mid-mounted pushrod V8 delivering 500hp (373kW) and starting price of around $US80,000 ($A110,000).

That in itself will be a big departure from seven generations of Corvettes over six decades dating back to 1953, but C&D's "impeccable source" also says the ground-breaking new C8 will be presented – at the 2019 Detroit show – with new, more expensive DOHC 32-valve V8.

Then in 2020, says C&D, the new Corvette will be revealed with its first electrified – and first all-wheel drive -- powertrain, incorporating electric front-wheel propulsion.

It's not clear whether the electrified Corvette will be an all-electric, petrol-electric hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicle, but adding weight to the report is the fact General Motors last year trademarked the name 'Corvette E-Ray', to go with its previously registered 'Corvette Manta Ray' nameplate.

According to car blog thetruthaboutcars.com, GM's latest trademark filing was made on December 16 -- three weeks after it applied for a patent for a “Hybrid Powertrain and Modular Rear Drive Unit” – making the e-Corvette likely to be a plug-in hybrid rather than a pure EV.

C&D says experimental C8 prototypes currently reside in Building 54 (a.k.a. Area 54) at GM’s Milford proving ground in Michigan, and rarely leave the building during daylight hours since it took aerial photos of a test mule two years ago.

The respected US publication says GM's benchmarking fleet currently comprises two Ferrari 458 Italias, two Porsche 911 Turbos, a Nissan GT-R and a BMW i8.

It says the existing C7 Corvette Stingray, which was only introduced in 2014 but never produced in right-hand drive ex-factory, will continue in production until late 2018, when GM starts building the new C8.

Before all that, Chevrolet is expected to reveal a high-output swansong version of the C7, probably at the next Detroit show in January 2017.

Possibly wearing the famed ZR1 badge, it would be a successor for the old Corvette Z06, which packed a 485kW supercharged 6.2-litre V8 and hit 100km/h in around three seconds.

Of course – as with the C7, Ford's new GT and, so far, Chevy's latest Camaro coupe – there's no confirmation the next Corvette will be produced in RHD for markets like Australia.